Is there a relationship between cardiovascular wellness and the bank balance? The answer is yes, at least according to a new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center, published in the journal AMA Cardiology. Research has shown that – in middle-aged men – a decline in wealth it is associated with an increased risk of heart attack or other life-threatening heart disease. Why?
It is true that the rich have fewer heart problems than the poor
That socioeconomic status and cardiovascular health are connected is nothing new. However, the research in question was the first to investigate a potential link between fluctuation in wealth and the onset of heart disease. The researchers subjected 5,500 subjects to a series of interviews about their economic conditions. At the same time, the academics analyzed the participants’ medical records.
According to the results, adults in the age group 50-64 who experienced “upward mobility of wealth” had a significantly lower cardiovascular risk than those who had to deal with the opposite situation, ie a reduction in income. Cardiovascular risk consisted of the possibility of having a myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias or stroke.
“Hereditary protection” thanks to income
The cardiovascular risk increases or decreases by 1% for every $ 100 earned or lost: this is the estimate suggested by the researchers. Perhaps excessive?
Indeed, heart health due to the wealth of a single person could also be transmitted to children: in the paper of the study we talk about “hereditary protection” thanks to earnings. Furthermore, a sudden increase in income could limit the cardiovascular risks associated with past economic difficulties.
Exposure to heart problems is also dictated – and above all – by stress, which is notoriously higher in periods in which income reductions are experienced. And the higher the stress, the more the heart suffers. “We already know that wealth is about health, but with this research we have shown that wealth trajectories can be crucial. This means that the cardiovascular risk associated with income is not permanent, and can be changed, ”said Andrew Sumarsono, lead author of the research.
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