Depression and heart disease are most lethal when combined

Clinicians have long suspected that depression worsens cardiac symptoms, but recent research suggests this combination is even more dangerous than previously believed. A study published in the journal Heart found that on any given day participants with both depression and heart disease were nearly 5 times more likely to die than their healthy peers. Depression alone doubled mortality risk, and heart disease increased risk by only 2/3.

The study authors evaluated about 6,000 subjects, employing statistical models to see if other factors, such as age and medication use, affected by results. Surprisingly, heart disease became a relatively insignificant mortality risk once these other factors were accounted for, but the combination of depression and heart disease remained lethal.

“It shows the pervasiveness of depression,” says Martica Hall, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh and a study co-author. Indeed, studies indicate at least 20% of the 17 million Americans with the heart disease also suffer from depression. The mechanism behind depression’s lethality is unclear, but researchers surmise that inflammatory factors associated with the brain’s stress response play a role.

Canadian researchers have found out that the blood vessels of obese teenagers look like those of older people. It is a sign that heart disease may be approaching.  The aorta, the largest blood vessel of our body, was stiffer and thicker than it was supposed to be.

In the last two decades the number of obese children and teenagers has increased sharply. Doctors say that this will lead to massive heart problems, strokes and diabetes when such young people get older. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels were also higher. Young obese children may also develop bone and joint problems.

The research team suggests rethinking ways on how to protect our children from such diseases. Numbers in other western countries show the same signs. Figures show that about a fourth of all youngsters are obese. When they become adults they will experience many health problems. This means that health costs will go up and obese adults may have problems getting work.

Stopping such a time bomb is not easy. Families have to be informed that healthy food and exercise are the best ways to avoid such diseases. There are also other things that can be done. More physical education in schools and healthier school food could be one way. Experts also suggest that parents let their children walk to school, where possible, not drive them.

No one is immune to stress, including me, shares Dr. Oz, a cardio-thoratic surgeon and host of The Dr. Oz Show, but the good news is that we can keep stress under control.

For my television show, I participated in a stress experiment by wearing a portable device that monitored my heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin temperature for 24 hours. Even after 2 years of hosting my own health show – and more than 20 years of performing heart surgeries – I learned I still experience “pre-game jitters”. My adrenaline starts to pump, causing my heart to race before it returns to baseline.

Periods of brief stress like this are normal, but chronic stress takes a toll on the body – there’s the rush of adrenaline than never quite turns off, leading to an overproduction of another stress hormone, cortisol.

I’ve seen firsthand how excess control places a massive strain on the heart. Now scientists are leaning how cortisol affects the brain, too. Researchers recently discovered that the hippocampus – an area of the brain that helps you respond to anxiety-filled situations – appears uniquely susceptible to the negative effects of cortisol. Excess cortisol, they suspect, may suppress neurogenesis, the brain’s ability to create and support new brain cells. And that’s not good to anyone, especially those over age 50.

So how can you turn off cortisol? Two key stress fighters are … EXERCISE and SEX.

While exercise helps to reduce stress and increases cortisol in the short term, over time it decreases anxiety and boosts neurogenesis – likely by improving blood circulation to the brain.

Even more intriguing, the brain cells created during exercise may be more resilient against future episodes of stress.

Sex seems to have similar benefits. In a recent study, a single sexual experience caused a short-term surge of cortisol, just as exercise does. But multiple sex experiences, daily over 2 weeks, reduces the release of cortisol, increased neurogenesis, and decreased anxiety-like behavior.

So look for small but consistent ways to reduce stress. I wouldn’t miss my morning yoga session, or night dance classes (I take tango lessons and in love with my dance instructor!) Just 7 minutes of fitness exercise to start the day – leaving the night free for romance – is a small investment that yields very healthy paycheck.

We’re over the hill, our hair is greying (if it’s even there at all), our joints are aching, our skin is sagging, and there’s not really anything we can do to stop it. Our bodies all age, leaving us wishing for the energy and vitality of the youth we once had. So instead of moping about, yearning for days gone by, let’s use this new year as an opportunity to start a new outlook.

Let’s resolve to have a healthier, happier soul. After all, there’s no sense in spending the last years of your life in a melancholy, negative state of mind when you could just as easily find your inner child and live the rest of your life to the fullest. But how?

The change must start with how we view our “problems.” See them more as challenges, or hurdles to be jumped. The more we successfully clear the hurdle, the easier it will be to clear the same jump in the future. Unless we’re victims of a terminal illness, almost all of our “problems” are fixable. For example, if you’re incontinent, rather than being ashamed, accept the handicap, support yourself as best you can by ordering incontinence supplies discreetly through a courier delivery service or medical couriers, and go about your daily life as if there’s nothing wrong.

Be proactive about the things that require regular health maintenance, like non-terminal illnesses. Take care of yourself, follow your doctor’s recommendations about healthy eating plan or diet changes, exercise and medications, and you might be surprised at how well you can learn to cope with health concerns like diabetes. Ordering your diabetes testing supplies on time, making daily monitoring easier and more consistent, is an easy way to stay on top of your health and wellness. Things like that are too easy to control for you to let laziness drag you into the depths of sickness.

If you’re having trouble getting out of the house on a regular basis, consider financially planning for home delivery of supplies, prescriptions, and maybe even a home alert system. For a small additional monthly amount, you could employ a medical courier to deliver the supplies and information you can’t live without. Some online distributors even work directly with Medicare for easy billing!

No matter how dire your non-terminal circumstances may seem, you have always been much bigger than your so-called “problems.” Rather than letting circumstances control you this year, why not give Father Time a run for his money and start controlling your own life, despite your circumstances.