But stressed-out affluent older men who drink and smoke have less heart disease than less-economically endowed men?
http://my.webmd.com/printing/article/2950.1737 'Researchers in Scotland followed a group of men for more than 20 years and found that those who reported the most stress actually died less often from heart attacks and had fewer objective signs of heart disease. Surprisingly, these men also tended to smoke more, drink more, and exercise less than other men in the study. "We aren't saying that stress protects your heart, and we certainly aren't saying that smoking, drinking to excess, and taking no exercise are good for you," says lead author John Macleod, MD, of the University of Birmingham in England. "Of course, these things are bad for you. But we found that with regard to stress, other factors came into play." Specifically, Macleod and colleagues found that men reporting more stress tended to be more socially and economically advantaged. These men reported more symptoms of heart disease, but they also experienced fewer heart attack deaths over the study period. This led the authors to conclude that the protective benefits of affluence, such as better access to medical care, help to offset an unhealthy lifestyle. The findings were reported in the May 25 issue of the British Medical Journal.' Other factors include hostility levels, or whether one perceives stress to be a challenge or a fear, or how much control one has (real or perceived) over stressors, or how much access one has to decent health care - to name a few. Studies Are So Much Fun! Maru __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
