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Stress Impacts the Brain Increasing Risk for Heart Disease (mindful.org)

 

Chronic stress has long been linked to cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. New research published in The Lancet suggests that heightened activity in the amygdala, the brain’s emotion processing center, may increase cardiovascular disease risk. This opens the door for new studies of alternative therapies including mindfulness meditation that are known to increase relaxation and stress resilience, and decrease known modifiable heart disease risk factors like hypertension, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, and Type 2 diabetes.

The amygdala is a region in the brain that is particularly susceptible to stress. Heightened activity in the amygdala has previously been linked to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and emotion regulation, but has yet to be considered as a risk factor for heart disease.

Indeed, the scientific evidence of mindfulness programs such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors is building, with studies demonstrating links between mindfulness practice and reductions in heart disease risk factors such as chronic stress, hypertension, poor type 1 and 2 diabetes regulation, smoking, and obesity-related eating behaviors. This may be attributed to the fact that practices like meditation improve attentional control, emotion regulation, and self-awareness, all of which are important contributors to the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.

To read more of B. Grace Bullock PhD's article, please click here.

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