Aug 28, 2009 5:51 am US/Eastern
Go! New York Report: Depression And Heart Disease
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
It turns out that heartache can actually lead to very real, and very serious, physical problems.
Life is full of ups and downs, but when feelings of loneliness and depression start to take over, it can take a toll on your health.
A new study says the feelings are linked to heart disease, and it's women that are at the greatest risk.
Love, a strong friendship, and marriage can all lead to a good attitude, and good health. But in women, more so than men, loneliness and depression can do just the opposite.
"It surprises me that women would be more at risk," California resident Bonnie Abrams said.
"It can be stressful for someone to lose someone in a relationship," California resident Donna Todd said.
A new study out of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine says loneliness and depression can lead to a broken heart – as in heart disease.
"The study showed that women who felt lonely or depressed had an 80 percent increased risk of developing heart disease," cardiologist Dr. John Kennedy says.
The study did not find that the same was true for men.
Dr. Kennedy says this is a trend that he's seen for a while. While men also get emotionally stressed, women react differently to situations, and are more affected in general when relationships fail or people become distant. That emotional stress puts stress on the heart.
"Inflammation goes up, and we also develop what's called lower heart rate variability, which is a measure of the stress response," Dr. Kennedy said. "In addition, our blood, when we get depressed, becomes thick and sticky and prone to clot."
While there are changes that happen inside the body during a period of depression and loneliness, there are also things people do in those situations that make a big difference.
"When we get depressed and lonely, we tend to exercise less, we tend to eat foods that are less healthy, and we are more likely to smoke and drink," Dr. Kennedy says.
Exercise, meditation, and a positive outlook can all make a tremendous difference in preventing heart disease.
For women in particular, keeping stress low can be a matter of life and death.
It's not just your odds of getting heart disease that are affected by your moods. A study by the National Institute of Aging found that chronically depressed people are 88 percent more likely to develop cancer.
Meanwhile, those who experience major depression increase their risk of stroke by 73 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Feeling sad for a while is normal. However, people should seek help after six weeks of mood change or persistent sadness – especially if you have signs of clinical depression such as weight changes, sleep changes, energy loss, and loss of interest in things you usually enjoy.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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