Serum Cholesterol Concentrations and Non-Physical Aggression in Healthy Adults

Abstract

Although physical aggression in humans and other primates appears to be negatively associated with total serum cholesterol (TSC) concentrations, the relationship between other forms of aggression and TSC is less clear. A plurality of studies have reported a positive association, some have reported no association, and a minority have reported a negative association. Some authors have speculated that the variability in findings is attributable to inconsistencies in the definitions and measurement of what has often been termed "verbal" aggression. Buss and Perry have developed the Aggression Questionnaire, a theoretically-derived and empirically validated self-report measure of aggression that breaks aggression into subcomponents. One hundred and seventy-one college students and university personnel were recruited to participate in a cholesterol screening health initiative and then invited to participate in a study of mood and cholesterol. They completed a Demographic Questionnaire, and the Aggression Questionnaire. Regression analyses with age and Body Mass Index (BMI) as covariates revealed that anger, hostility, and verbal aggression significantly predicted TSC. Physical aggression did not. This finding suggests that non-physical forms of aggression may constitute a risk factor for coronary artery disease and one that may be worthy of targeting through behavioral interventions such as anger management training.

Personality profiles and health: Longitudinal evidence among Finnish adults

“…Typically, individuals high in Neuroticism tend to have poorer self‐assessments of health (Goodwin & Engstrom, 2002; Wasylkiw & Fekken, 2002), and more often physical illness (Friedman, Kern & Reynolds, 2010; Lahey, 2009; Neeleman et al ., 2004), than individuals low in Neuroticism. Moreover, hostility, anger, and depression as facets of Neuroticism have been found to be risk factors for high cholesterol (Hillbrand, Waite, Rosenstein, Harackiewicz, Lingswiler & Stehney, 2005; Sutin, Terracciano, Deiana, et al ., 2010; Williams, Steptoe, Chambers & Kooner, 2011), hypertension (Rutledge & Hogan, 2002) and cardiovascular disease (Strike & Steptoe, 2004). However, there are mixed results for Neuroticism concerning body mass (Brummett, Babyak, Williams, Barefoot, Costa & Siegler, 2006; Roehling, Roehling & Odland, 2008; Sutin, Ferrucci, Zonderman & Terracciano, 2011) and mortality (Friedman et al ., 2010; Iwasa, Masui, Gondo, Inagaki, Kawaai & Suzuki, 2008; Shipley, Weiss, Der, Taylor & Deary, 2007; Terracciano, Lockenhoff, Zonderman, Ferrucci & Costa, 2008).…”

Family Cohesion Moderates the Relation Between Free Testosterone and Delinquent Behaviors in Adolescent Boys and Girls

“…In a study of participants in a cholesterol-lowering program, improvements in diet were associated with reductions in aggressive hostility and plasma cholesterol levels [32]. More recent studies have also reported a positive association of total serum cholesterol and non-physical forms of aggression (e.g., verbal aggression, hostility) among healthy adults [14]. In addition, total serum cholesterol was positively related to aggressiveness among college males who were not physically fit [33], which may reflect a similar sample as the adolescent boys in the current study who presented with unfavorable lipid profiles.…”

“…In light of empirical data suggesting that serum cholesterol levels may be positively associated with aggression [14] in adults and adolescents, we included serum lipid levels in the multivariate analyses. Two fasting venipunctures for serum lipids were drawn for the assessment of total cholesterol, HDL-C, and LDL-C as previously described [15].…”

“…delinquent and aggressive behaviors) among adolescent boys and girls identified as having unfavorable serum cholesterol profiles. These outcomes may be particularly relevant in this population given that some previous studies have reported positive relations between cholesterol and aggression [14]. Thus, based on prior empirical studies, it is hypothesized that under conditions of low family cohesion, testosterone will be positively associated with behavioral problems among adolescent boys.…”

Examination of Mediational Models of the Hostility-Health Link

“…After conducting multivariate analyses, the researchers found that both variables were associated with CAD, but hostility was a stronger predictor of CAD than Type A behavior. Furthermore, hostility has been linked to increased platelet aggregation (Shimbo et al, 2009), high blood pressure (Brondolo et al, 2009, Lazaro, Valdes, Marcos, & Guarch, 1993, and elevated total serum cholesterol (Hillbrand et al, 2005)-all factors believed to be related to poor cardiovascular health.…”