Women, Stress and Heart Health: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Cardiovascular Disease
Kosin Medical Journal December 31, 2016 Kyoung-Im Cho
Psychological stress, including depression and anxiety, independently raises cardiovascular disease risk, especially in women. Emotional regulation mediates depression and physical illness and alters resting stress responses. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a structured group program using mindfulness meditation, was developed for chronic pain and is now widely used to reduce psychological distress in chronic illness and treat emotional and behavioral disorders. In cardiovascular disease, MBSR may help control risk factors such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, oxidative and psychosocial stress, obesity, and smoking, and may improve submaximal exercise responses and heart rate variability. The most effective stress reduction therapy remains unestablished, but MBSR is increasingly recognized.