Anger may boost cholesterol in out-of-shape women

NEW YORK, Mar 20 (Reuters Health) - A hostile temperament can be rough on the heart, but exercise may help even the angriest personalities avoid heart disease, research suggests.

In a study of 103 healthy, middle-aged women, investigators found that those prone to angry outbursts had less-healthy cholesterol levels than their calmer peers. However, women who were angry but physically fit showed no such ill effects on their cholesterol.

In addition, not all forms of anger were related to poorer cholesterol levels, according to Aron Wolfe Siegman and colleagues at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

For example, "neurotic anger"--which refers to the tendency to have hostile reactions to criticism or perceived insults--showed no link to higher levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol or low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.

On the other hand, women with "angry temperaments" who had trouble keeping their hostility in check tended to have higher total cholesterol and LDL.

But when the researchers looked into this relationship further, they found it was only true of women who were relatively unfit. The findings were published in a recent issue of the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

Past research has linked chronic anger--particularly the open expression of it--to the risk of heart disease. Still, similar to the current study, research in men has suggested physical fitness can counter the cardiovascular effects of anger.

Exactly why poor anger control might negatively affect cholesterol levels is unclear, according to Siegman's team. But they note that this personality trait may be related to hyperresponsiveness to hormones like adrenaline, which in turn has been linked to cholesterol increases in animal research.

Moreover, poor anger control was related to poorer cholesterol in unfit women regardless of age, body mass and smoking habits.

On the brighter side, the researchers point out, their findings also suggest that people prone to anger can help their hearts out by getting enough exercise.

SOURCE: Journal of Behavioral Medicine 2002;25:1-16.