Exercise Counteracts the Cardiotoxicity of Psychosocial Stress

Abstract

Physical inactivity and psychosocial stress are prevalent in residents of the United States. The purpose of this article is to review the interaction between these 2 conditions and examine the effects of exercise on stress and cardiovascular (CV) health. A query of scientific references between 1974 to 2018 was performed using the PubMed search engine accessing the MEDLINE database using the search terms psychosocial stress, CV disease (CVD), physical activity, exercise, cardiac rehabilitation, and team sports. Psychosocial stress is a strong independent risk factor for adverse CV events. Conversely, people who experience CV events subsequently have drastically elevated rates of new-onset mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety. Psychosocial stress and CVD often trigger selfreinforcing feedback loops that can worsen mental health and cardiac prognosis. Exercise predictably improves CV health and prognosis and also is effective at lowering levels of psychosocial stress. Group exercise in particular seems to provide social support while at the same time boosting fitness levels and, thus, may be the single most important intervention for patients with concomitant CVD and emotional stress. Collaborative physical activity, such as group exercise, team sports, interactive physical play, and cardiac rehabilitation programs, have the potential to improve mental health and CV prognosis.

Health Disparities and Cardiovascular Disease

“…This finding is congruent with previous studies as well [15]. Depression and days lost are likely to be risk factors, as stress may cause heart issues such as CVD/MI, which exercise may help counteract [27].…”

Exercise and Cardiovascular Disease

“…Exercise also exerts an important ameliorating effect on major cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, 97 obesity, 98 diabetes mellitus, 99 hyperlipidemia, 100 metabolic syndrome, 101 alcohol abuse, 102 chronic kidney disease, 103 psychosomatic stress, 104 and depression. 105 Besides the significant benefits in CVD and CVD risk factors, physical exercise also plays a therapeutic role in several non-cardiovascular disorders, including chronic back pain, 106 osteoporosis, 107 several cancers, 108 constipation, 109 anxiety, 110 dementia, 111 inflammatory bowel disease, 112 gall bladder disease, 113 osteoarthritis, 114 rheumatoid arthritis, 115 Parkinson's disease, 116 and multiple sclerosis.…”

Living alone makes the heart more vulnerable

“…Marriage provides emotional support which enhances a person’s resilience to PSS. A large body of scientific data indicates that uncontrolled PSS impairs the parasympathetic/sympathetic nervous system balance, increasing heart rate and blood pressure (BP), and predisposing to hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerotic CVD and major adverse CVD events 5. In the new study by Chen et al ,1 the increased stress of living alone may have been at least in part responsible for the shorter telomeres noted among those persons living singly.…”

“…In the new study by Chen et al ,1 the increased stress of living alone may have been at least in part responsible for the shorter telomeres noted among those persons living singly. Indeed, excessive PSS has been associated with accelerated ageing 5…”