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Stress may raise your Cholesterol
An individual's blood cholesterol profile results from the interplay of many influences, including genetics hormones, diet, body fat, exercise and exposure to alcohol, tobacco, supplements, and medication.
A recent study from England of 106 male and 93 female British civil servants between the ages of 45 and 59 suggests that this formidable list should be expanded further by adding stress.None of the subjects had coronary artery disease or hypertension. After blood samples were obtained, each subject was asked to perform a series of mentally stressful tasks while being monitored to evaluate their psychological and chemical responses. A final blood sample was obtained at the end of each experimental session. Although there was considerable variation among the subjects, stress did produce an increase in blood cholesterol levels. On average, the total cholesterol rose about 7 mg/dl - the LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 5 mg/dl, and the HDL ("good") cholesterol by 1.6 mg/dl.
The increase in LDL cholesterol seems small, but if sustained, it would increase a person's heart attack risk by about 3%. But the rise in cholesterol occurred over a brief exposure to stress, and the scientists did not monitor blood tests later in the day to see if the levels stayed up. However, they did come back for a second look - three years later.
In terms of cholesterol, the passage of three years took more of a toll than a morning of experimental stress: Over three years, the volunteers' average cholesterol levels rose from 209 to 225 mg/dl, and the LDL cholesterol rose from 123 to 139 mg/dl. Changes in health habits did not account for the rise, but body weight did play a role; the people who gained the most weight experienced the greatest rise in their cholesterol levels. That was certainly expected. More surprising was the observation that the people whose Cholesterol levels raised the most in response to stress also experienced the greatest three-year increases, even after body weight and other variables were taken into account.
Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system and
pumps stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol into the blood. Among Other functions, the stress hormones act to mobilize the body's energy reserves. That means they liberate sugar from the liver and fatty acids from adipose tissue. These hormones also appear to boost the liver's production of low-density lipoproteins, which transport "bad" cholesterol in the blood.The study showed that relatively mild mental stress can produce a relatively small rise in blood cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, the researchers did not learn how long the increase persisted.
The follow-up results are also interesting. Life is filled with stress. The people who responded to mild mental stress with the largest increase in blood cholesterol levels also showed the largest rise over the next three years. 'Weight gain and lifestyle changes did not explain this association. Perhaps, then, it is due to the cumulative effects of daily stress. The metabolism is complex, and it will take time to sort out this latest wrinkle. Until scientists complete their work, you should do everything you can to help lower your cholesterol: eat right, get enough exercise, stay lean, avoid tobacco, don't abuse alcohol - and relax.