The American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded a total of $15 million to three research teams to study the association between chronic stress and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The teams—representing Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), The Ohio State University (OSU) and the University of California Davis (UC Davis)—each received a four-year grant to carry out their research.
“A single, stressful situation sets off a chain of events, the body releases adrenaline, a hormone that temporarily causes breathing and heart rate to speed up and blood pressure to rise. These reactions trigger a ‘fight or flight’ response,” Michelle A. Albert, MD, 2022-23 volunteer president of the AHA, said in a prepared statement. “When a person is constantly exposed to this kind of stress, the long-term activation of the body’s stress response system, along with increased inflammation and the prolonged exposure to cortisol and other stress hormones, takes a significant toll on the cardiovascular system.”
VCU’s research will examine how the stress associated with receiving a cancer diagnosis can impact a patient’s cardiovascular health. VCU will work with specialists from Wake Forest University to study the heart cells of patients going through such stressful situations and determine how this may impact their heart failure risk.
The team’s work will also look at how different diets and exercise routines can potentially help these patients.
“We are incredibly grateful to the AHA for being champions of this important work,” Greg Hundley, MD, chair of the VCU School of Medicine’s division of cardiology, said in a separate statement. “We are also thrilled to partner with the talented team at Wake Forest University on this shared mission.”
OSU’s research, a collaboration with Meharry Medical College, will look at how different exercise routines are able to limit the risk of stress-related CVD. While some of their research will use mouse models, a separate study will examine the effects of a “24-week diet, education and exercise program” on high-risk Black patients.
Finally, researchers from UC Davis will use the AHA grant to collaborate with a team from California State University and study how stress related to day-to-day life can affect a patient’s heart. “Societal, environmental and biological factors” people encounter on a regular basis will be the primary focus of the team’s efforts.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.