Positive Perspective Helps Heart Health

A “glass half-full” attitude may not only make for a better mood, it may improve key markers of cardiovascular health.  Rosalba Hernandez, from the University of Illinois (Illinois, USA), and colleagues analyzed data collected on 5,134 men and women, ages 52 to 84 years, enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).  Participants' cardiovascular health was assessed using seven metrics: blood pressure, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose and serum cholesterol levels, dietary intake, physical activity and tobacco use.   The team allocated 0, 1 or 2 points – representing poor, intermediate and ideal scores, respectively – to participants on each of the seven health metrics, which were then summed to arrive at a total cardiovascular health score. Participants' total health scores ranged from 0 to 14, with a higher total score indicative of better health.  Subjects were surveyed as to their mental health, levels of optimism; physical health was determined based upon self-reported extant medical diagnoses of arthritis, liver and kidney disease.  Data analysis revealed that the subjects’ total health scores increased in tandem with their levels of optimism. People who were the most optimistic were 50% more likely to have total health scores in the intermediate range, and 76% more likely to have a score in the ideal ranges.  The study authors submit that their study serves as: “evidence for a cross-sectional association between optimism and [cardiovascular health].”