Does chronic stress lead to stroke or heart attack?

New research suggests chronic stress can cause arterial blockage and lead to stroke or heart attack. According to Science:

"Epidemiological studies have shown that people who face many stressors—from those who survive natural disasters to those who work long hours—are more likely to develop atherosclerosis, the accumulation of fatty plaques inside blood vessels. In addition to fats and cholesterols, the plaques contain monocytes and neutrophils, immune cells that cause inflammation in the walls of blood vessels. And when the plaques break loose from the walls where they’re lodged, they can cause more extreme blockages elsewhere—leading to a stroke or heart attack."

"Studying the effect of stressful intensive care unit (ICU) shifts on medical residents, biologist Matthias Nahrendorf of Harvard Medical School in Boston recently found that blood samples taken when the doctors were most stressed out had the highest levels of neutrophils and monocytes. To probe whether these white blood cells, or leukocytes, are the missing link between stress and atherosclerosis, he and his colleagues turned to experiments on mice."

Learn more: How stress can clog your arteries

“Fascinating insight”: Inflamed cells circulating in bloodstream

Chronic inflammation rears its ugly head. This time, as inflamed, deformed cells circulating in the bloodstream at the beginning of a heart attack. According to Science News:

In people experiencing the opening throes of a heart attack, cells from the inner lining of blood vessels — called endothelial cells — get set adrift in the bloodstream.

Cardiologist and study investigator Dr. Eric Topol observes:

 These are sick cells that have been subjected to profound inflammation. (emphasis added)

Cardiologist Christopher Boos, not involved in the study, calls this new finding “a fascinating insight,” but notes it is “very much in the exploratory phase.”

According to the researchers, the number of these inflamed circulating endothelial cells per unit, know as the cell count, “may serve as a promising clinical measure for the prediction of atherosclerotic plaque rupture events.”

You can access the abstract in Science Translational Medicine here. Learn more about the dangers of chronic inflammation in the posts below: 

• Quote: Adiposity causes inflammation of the hypothalamus
• Inflammation impairs frontal lobe brain function
• Brain Health: Fish oil helps maintain brain volume
• An "Insight of the Decade": Chronic inflammation kills

John Oró

Conflicting results on salt intake and mortality

France, Vendée (85), île de noirmoutier, pure Salt. Pinpin 20:24, 19 September 2006 (UTC)By Dr. John

So, which is it, limit the salt or not? Several reports have appeared this week on the health effects of dietary salt. The one that seems to have caught the most attention was the study recently published in the American Journal of Hypertension. As reported by Scientific American on July 8, "a meta-analysis of seven studies involving a total of 6,250 subjects … found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure." This was viewed by many as absolving salt of any significant health impact. Indeed, the declarative title of the Scientific American article seemed to leave no doubt: It’s Time to End the War on Salt. However, medicine and science are rarely that easy.

On July 12, writing in the Forbes blog CARDIOBRIEF, Larry Husten reports on a study published in July 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine which included twice as many subjects  - "12,267 adults participating in the 3rd National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey." This study found that the sodium-potassium ratio was the important factor and that “a high sodium intake, especially when combined with a low potassium intake, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality.” Husten's post includes the AMA press release which concludes:

In summary, our findings indicate that higher sodium-potassium ratio is associated with significantly increased risk of CVD and all-cause mortality in the general US population,” write the authors. “Public health recommendations should emphasize simultaneous reduction in sodium intake and increase in potassium intake."

There is good news for modern Paleolithic nutrition which refrains from processed foods and includes plenty of fruits and vegetables:

The authors point out that salt is frequently added to processed foods, thereby increasing the sodium-potassium ratio, while fruits, vegetables and dairy products tend to have a lower ratio.

So, there you have it. Time for more studies or just eat your fruits and vegetables?!