Well-being is inversely related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, according to results from a UK Biobank analysis. Jinghui Zhong, MD, of the University of Sciences and Technology of China, Hefei, and colleagues reported these results in a manuscript published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. “Our findings support a holistic approach to health care, where enhancing a person’s mental and emotional well-being is considered an integral part of preventing heart disease and stroke,” said senior author Wen Sun, MD, PhD, director of the Stroke Center at the University of Sciences and Technology of China, in a corresponding news release on Wednesday. CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide. Primary prevention is increasingly important as researchers and clinicians manage CVD risks amidst modern lifestyle changes. Addressing social, physical and psychological health may be important in mitigating CVD risk factors. Prior research suggests cardiovascular events may be predicted by patients’ well-being. The investigators in this study compared patients’ well-being with CVD risk using a series of questionnaires: happiness and satisfaction with family, friends, health and finances. They also analyzed the impact of lifestyle factors, such as diet, activity and sleep, and inflammatory markers on well-being. A total of 121,317 patients (aged 40-69 years) were assessed in this study, with data taken from the UK Biobank. Cox proportional hazards models and Mendelian randomization were used to evaluate the impacts of well-being on lifestyle factors and inflammatory markers. Patients were categorized into four well-being groups: low, variable, moderate-to-high and high satisfaction. The risk of various CVDs was reduced in patients who reported higher well-being. Patients who had higher well-being also had healthier behaviors, as well as reduced inflammatory markers. Lifestyle and inflammatory markers were mediators between well-being and CVDS, according to a mediation analysis. The investigators noted a few limitations in this study. Primarily, the measures were self-reported, which could include bias. Additionally, longitudinal data was lacking. Finally, the results may not be representative of all populations due to analysis of only the UK Biobank participants. Overall, higher levels of well-being were associated with reduced risks for several CVDs, including after adjustment for healthy lifestyle factors and inflammatory markers. The investigators suggested further research in this area to identify at-risk populations and create interventional strategies to increase well-being. Source: Zhong J, Zhang P, Dong Y, et al. Well-Being and Cardiovascular Health: Insights From the UK Biobank Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 Sept 12 (Article in press). Image Credit: K Abrahams/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com