Women’s Heart Symptoms Often Blamed on Stress
Tara Parker-Pope on Health
NYTimes.com
October 13, 2008, 12:23 pm
Signs of heart disease are more likely to be blamed on stress when the patient is a woman, new research shows.
In two studies, 230 family doctors and internists were shown sample cases of a 47-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman. The ages of the patients reflect an equal risk for heart disease. Half the vignettes included sentences indicating the patient had recently experienced a stressful life event or appeared anxious. The doctors read the case and offered a diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
When the case study involved standard heart symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath and irregular heart beat, there was no difference in the doctor’s advice for the man or the woman. However, when stress was included as a symptom, gender differences emerged. The presence of stress changed the way doctors interpreted a woman’s symptoms, prompting them to suggest psychological factors rather than physical causes. But the presence of stress didn’t change the way men were assessed.
When stress was listed as a symptom, only 15 percent of the doctors diagnosed heart disease in women, compared to 56 percent for men. Only 30 percent of the doctors referred the women to a cardiologist, compared to 62 percent for men, and 13 percent suggested medication for women, compared to 47 percent for men.
The findings, presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics scientific symposium, could help explain why there is often a delay in the assessment of women with heart disease, said Dr. Alexandra J. Lansky, a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/just-stress-more-often-diagnosed-in-women/
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women. Show all posts
Friday, October 17, 2008
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Women For Women, Int'l Donation Matching Now
Right now any donation you make to Women for Women
International will be matched dollar for dollar.
That means the generous gift you give will offer the women
survivors of war-torn Sudan and beyond twice as much
support to help rebuild their lives and their communities
and ultimately their nations. Learn More
But the Matching Gift is only available throughsurvivors of war-torn Sudan and beyond twice as much
support to help rebuild their lives and their communities
and ultimately their nations. Learn More
October 31, so please make your donation now.
FAQs l Contact l Project Independence l Donate l Sponsor l Shop Women for Women International is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization. EIN/Tax ID # 52-183-8756
Monday, April 30, 2007
Women & Heart Disease - “The Healthy Heart Handbook”
Love Your Heart: New NHLBI Resource Helps Women Reduce Heart Disease Risk
20th anniversary edition of “The Healthy Heart Handbook” includes New Statistics, Quizzes, and Charts
20th anniversary edition of “The Healthy Heart Handbook” includes New Statistics, Quizzes, and Charts
A must read for women who want to show their hearts some love, “The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women” is an invaluable and easy-to-use resource every woman should read from cover to cover. A full-color, 122-page booklet from The Heart Truth campaign, it is packed with the latest information on preventing and controlling the risk factors for heart disease — the No.1 killer of women.
“The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women” a publication of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, contains new information on women and heart disease and offers practical suggestions for reducing the risk of heart-related problems. The handbook also describes the warning signs of heart attack and how to get help quickly.
“The Healthy Heart Handbook” is available for $4.00 from the NHLBI Information Center, (301) 592-8573 or (240) 629-3255 (TTY); it is also online at http://emall.nhlbihin.net/product2.asp?sku=07-2720.Sunday, April 22, 2007
Hot Flashes in Women Tied to Higher Blood Pressure
April 12 (HealthDay News) -- Hot flashes in women are linked with high blood pressure, says a new study that may be the first to identify this association.
SOURCE: Weill Cornell Medical College, news release, April 2, 2007
Publish Date: April 12, 2007
The study of 154 women -- ages 18 to 65 with a mean age of 46 -- found that the 51 women who reported having hot flashes had an age-adjusted mean systolic awake blood pressure of 141 and a mean systolic sleep blood pressure of 129, compared to 132 and 119, respectively, among women without hot flashes.
"One third of the women we studied reported having hot flashes within the past two weeks. Among these women, systolic blood pressure was significantly higher -- even after adjusting for whether they were premenopausal, menopausal or postmenopausal," senior author Dr. Linda Gerber, professor of public health and medicine, and director of the biostatistics and research methodology core at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, said in a prepared statement.
"Future research will help us better understand the mechanisms underlying this relationship and may help to identify potential interventions that would reduce the impact of hot flashes on blood pressure," Gerber said.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, which accounts for half of all deaths among American women age 50 and older. Previous research has linked menopause to high blood pressure.
The study was published in the March/April issue of the journal Menopause.
SOURCE: Weill Cornell Medical College, news release, April 2, 2007
Publish Date: April 12, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
Mother's Day gift... support women whose lives have been ravaged by war
Looking for a meaningful Mother's Day gift? Consider a donation, purchase from, or sponsorship of this worthwhile international non-profit organization.
http://www.womenforwomen.org/
“Women for Women International has sharply identified the nature and complexities of a much neglected need associated with wars—the urgency of providing rehabilitation to people, particularly women, left destitute, impoverished or displaced by the hostilities. The organization is already protecting millions of lives from short-term agony and long-term ruination.”
WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL RECEIVES
“Women for Women International has sharply identified the nature and complexities of a much neglected need associated with wars—the urgency of providing rehabilitation to people, particularly women, left destitute, impoverished or displaced by the hostilities. The organization is already protecting millions of lives from short-term agony and long-term ruination.”
WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL RECEIVES
2006 HILTON HUMANITARIAN PRIZE
September 14, 2006, WASHINGTON, DC - Women for Women International is the recipient of the 2006 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world’s largest humanitarian prize of $1.5 million. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation presents the annual award to an organization that “significantly alleviates human suffering.”
“Women and children bear the major burdens of the unprecedented number of wars and civil conflicts raging worldwide and are often left to rebuild their lives without the basic necessities for survival or a viable means to earn a living and take care of their families,” said Steven M. Hilton, chairman and CEO of the Hilton Foundation. “Women for Women International has demonstrated that it can create change and stability within a society by providing women survivors with the tools and resources to rebuild their lives. The organization also gives women the training and confidence to engage in their communities’, and ultimately their nation’s economic, political and social structures,” he added.
“We are incredibly proud and grateful to receive the Hilton Humanitarian Prize, and to be the first women’s organization recognized with this honor,” said Zainab Salbi, President and CEO of Women for Women International. “It reinforces our vision that stronger women build stronger nations and encourages us to work harder to bring the voices and concerns of the women we serve to the forefront.”
Women for Women International currently operates in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and Sudan. 30,000 women access its programs every day, benefiting 5.3 million family and community members. Since its founding in 1993, Women for Women International has distributed more than $28 million in direct aid and microcredit loans.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Women & Heart Disease - what to know
Heart disease in women: A Mayo Clinic specialist answers questions
When it comes to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, men have traditionally garnered more attention than women have. You might think this is because men are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease than are women. But in reality, more women than men die of cardiovascular disease each year. Women are six times as likely to die of heart disease as of breast cancer. Heart disease kills more women over 65 than all cancers combined.
Historically, coronary artery disease has been considered primarily a man's disease. But recent statistics have shown that the rate of heart disease has declined in men but not as much in women. This may be due to a combination of biological and social differences.
Cardiologist Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director of the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and member of the advisory board of WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, shares her insights about women and heart disease.
Isn't heart disease just heart disease, whether it's in a man or a woman?
Not necessarily. We have gaps in our knowledge about the prevention and treatment of heart disease in women. For one thing, women historically haven't been included in scientific research studies to the extent men have.
For example, we now know that just because a woman's arteries appear clear on an angiogram (a picture of the heart), it doesn't mean she's not at risk of heart disease. A study by the National Institutes of Health indicated as many as 3 million women previously diagnosed with healthy arteries could actually have an increased risk of heart attack after all.
This study, called the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE), found among other things that the gold standard test for assessing coronary artery disease — the coronary angiogram — may not spot the more diffuse buildup of plaques that often forms in the smaller coronary arteries of women's hearts.
How do heart attack symptoms differ in women and men?
The most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women is some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But it's not always severe or even the most prominent symptom, particularly in women. Women are more likely than men to have signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:
* Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
* Shortness of breath
* Nausea or vomiting
* Sweating
* Lightheadedness or dizziness
* Unusual fatigue
These signs and symptoms are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. This may be due to the smaller arteries involved or because in men, the bulky, unstable plaques tend to burst open whereas in women, plaques erode, exposing the inner layers of the artery.
Differences in symptoms may also relate to a condition called endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction — in which the lining of the artery doesn't allow the artery to expand (dilate) properly to boost blood flow during activity — increases the risk of coronary artery spasm and sudden death.
Ultimately, women tend to show up in the emergency rooms after much heart damage has already occurred because their symptoms are not those typically associated with a heart attack. If you experience these symptoms or think you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't drive yourself to the emergency room.
Davies: For more info also check out: http://goredforwomen.org/ ...take the Go Red Heart Checkup to find out your own risk for heart disease. GRFW is a campaign of the American Heart Association
Are the risk factors different for men and women?
Although the traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease — such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity — are detrimental to both men and women, certain factors may play a bigger role in the development of heart disease in women. For example:
* Metabolic syndrome — a combination of abdominal obesity, increased blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and triglycerides — has a greater impact on women than on men.
* Mental stress and depression affect women's hearts more than men's.
* Smoking is much worse for women than men.
* Low levels of estrogen before menopause is a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in smaller blood vessels (microvascular disease).
Is heart disease something only older women should worry about?
No. While heart disease is the leading cause of death for women 65 and older, it's the third-leading cause of death for women 25 to 44 and second-leading cause of death for women 45 to 64. All women, of all ages, should take heart disease seriously.
There seems to be an ethnic disparity in heart disease. Why are black and Hispanic women at higher risk of dying of this disease?
It's complicated. Some of it is socioeconomic. Some of it is also the result of medical disparities. They may get fewer health screenings, or they haven't received ethnic-specific health messages. There are genetic differences to consider, too. Black women are more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes, but they actually smoke less than white women do. Other ethnic traditions may put a different emphasis on diet and physical activity.
What can women do to reduce their risks of heart disease?
As for the basics: Be active, maintain a normal weight and don't smoke. Women also need to take their prescribed medications appropriately, such as beta blockers, blood thinners and aspirin, and they need to better manage other conditions that are risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Some women at high risk may also benefit from the use of supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids. These are all things you can talk to your doctor about.
Should I take aspirin?
Guidelines from the American Heart Association urge women to be more aggressive about cutting their heart disease and stroke risks. One of the recommendations is for women over 65 years of age to consider daily aspirin therapy.
The aspirin recommendation comes out of the ongoing Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, the largest study of heart disease risk factors in women. In 2005, the WHI group released a study showing that the most consistent benefit of aspirin for heart attack prevention was observed among women 65 years of age or older. Women in this age group who took aspirin had nearly one-third fewer cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke) than did women who took a placebo. However, the women taking aspirin had more gastrointestinal bleeding as well.
The key word in these guidelines is "consider." The guidelines recommend that women consider taking aspirin — which means have a discussion with your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking aspirin based on your own individual stroke and heart attack risk. The higher your risk of heart attack or stroke, the more that risk is reduced by taking aspirin, but the higher your risk is of bleeding. So, it's a balance that each woman needs to discuss with her physician.
When you say 'be active,' what do you mean?
Exercise isn't the same as being busy. I have women tell me how busy they are, that they're always running around doing stuff, and they may be tired at the end of the day, but they aren't physically fit. Being active means doing something physical, getting exercise.
In my practice, I give concrete examples of what this means. For instance, it means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking, riding bikes with your kids. I tell women to get a pedometer and track their steps. The goal is to log 10,000 steps a day, which is about five miles. Don't be discouraged if you can't jog or join an exercise club, even a 30-minute walk every day results in big benefits for your heart.
Can you give an example of how someone you know made some simple heart-healthy changes?
I know a woman who works on the 11th floor. She was overweight and very out of shape. She started exercising by walking up just a few flights of stairs each morning and then taking the elevator the rest of the way when she got tired. One day, she realized she had walked all the way up to the 14th floor without realizing it or getting winded. Now, she walks up to the 18th floor and then back down to the 11th because it feels good and is a great start to her day. I can tell patients with a completely straight face that soon you'll want to do more exercise because you'll feel better.
What's a normal weight? How much weight should I try and lose?
There is no "normal" weight, but a normal body mass index (BMI) is helpful. This calculation helps you determine if you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat. BMI numbers of 25 or higher are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Remember, though, even losing 10 to 15 pounds can help by lowering your blood pressure and helping prevent diabetes — both of which increase your risk of heart disease.
Is the treatment for heart disease different for women?
In some women, plaques accumulate as an evenly spread layer along artery walls, which is not treatable using traditional methods such as angioplasty and stenting designed to flatten the bulky, irregular, not-so-subtle plaques in men's arteries. In women with these more diffuse plaques, drug treatment — rather than angioplasty or stenting — may be a better option.
We also know that men and women respond differently to certain heart medications, such as clot-busting drugs (thrombolytics). There is also a difference between men and women in the effects of aspirin therapy. In women, aspirin therapy seems to reduce the risk of stroke more than in men, while in men it reduces the risk of heart attack more than it reduces strokes.
What these differences suggest is that if we use the same treatment in women that we use in men without understanding those differences, we may actually increase women's risks of complications.
I've heard something about the connection between depression and heart disease in women. What's that about?
Depression is twice as common in women as in men, and it increases the risk of heart disease by two to three times compared with those who aren't depressed. It's estimated that about one in five women who has a heart attack or is hospitalized with heart failure has evidence of depression. We need to better diagnose and address depression because depression makes it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle and follow recommended treatment.
What's next in the effort to prevent heart disease in women?
Recent studies, especially those giving results for men and women, have helped us begin to identify gaps in our knowledge and will spur researchers to look for answers that will improve care for women. Doctors are becoming more aware of the different signs to watch for that may indicate a woman is having a heart attack — different than what men may experience.
Women and physicians also need to become better educated about heart disease in women. Knowledge helps women feel empowered to ask questions and learn more about how to prevent heart disease.
And as women become more informed about their risks, they'll be better able to follow through with healthier lifestyle habits.
Original Article:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/HB00040
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Apr 3, 2007
© 1998-2007 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
When it comes to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, men have traditionally garnered more attention than women have. You might think this is because men are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease than are women. But in reality, more women than men die of cardiovascular disease each year. Women are six times as likely to die of heart disease as of breast cancer. Heart disease kills more women over 65 than all cancers combined.
Historically, coronary artery disease has been considered primarily a man's disease. But recent statistics have shown that the rate of heart disease has declined in men but not as much in women. This may be due to a combination of biological and social differences.
Cardiologist Sharonne Hayes, M.D., director of the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and member of the advisory board of WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, shares her insights about women and heart disease.
Isn't heart disease just heart disease, whether it's in a man or a woman?
Not necessarily. We have gaps in our knowledge about the prevention and treatment of heart disease in women. For one thing, women historically haven't been included in scientific research studies to the extent men have.
For example, we now know that just because a woman's arteries appear clear on an angiogram (a picture of the heart), it doesn't mean she's not at risk of heart disease. A study by the National Institutes of Health indicated as many as 3 million women previously diagnosed with healthy arteries could actually have an increased risk of heart attack after all.
This study, called the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE), found among other things that the gold standard test for assessing coronary artery disease — the coronary angiogram — may not spot the more diffuse buildup of plaques that often forms in the smaller coronary arteries of women's hearts.
How do heart attack symptoms differ in women and men?
The most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women is some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But it's not always severe or even the most prominent symptom, particularly in women. Women are more likely than men to have signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:
* Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
* Shortness of breath
* Nausea or vomiting
* Sweating
* Lightheadedness or dizziness
* Unusual fatigue
These signs and symptoms are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. This may be due to the smaller arteries involved or because in men, the bulky, unstable plaques tend to burst open whereas in women, plaques erode, exposing the inner layers of the artery.
Differences in symptoms may also relate to a condition called endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction — in which the lining of the artery doesn't allow the artery to expand (dilate) properly to boost blood flow during activity — increases the risk of coronary artery spasm and sudden death.
Ultimately, women tend to show up in the emergency rooms after much heart damage has already occurred because their symptoms are not those typically associated with a heart attack. If you experience these symptoms or think you're having a heart attack, call for emergency medical help immediately. Don't drive yourself to the emergency room.
Davies: For more info also check out: http://goredforwomen.org/ ...take the Go Red Heart Checkup to find out your own risk for heart disease. GRFW is a campaign of the American Heart Association
Are the risk factors different for men and women?
Although the traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease — such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity — are detrimental to both men and women, certain factors may play a bigger role in the development of heart disease in women. For example:
* Metabolic syndrome — a combination of abdominal obesity, increased blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and triglycerides — has a greater impact on women than on men.
* Mental stress and depression affect women's hearts more than men's.
* Smoking is much worse for women than men.
* Low levels of estrogen before menopause is a significant risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in smaller blood vessels (microvascular disease).
Is heart disease something only older women should worry about?
No. While heart disease is the leading cause of death for women 65 and older, it's the third-leading cause of death for women 25 to 44 and second-leading cause of death for women 45 to 64. All women, of all ages, should take heart disease seriously.
There seems to be an ethnic disparity in heart disease. Why are black and Hispanic women at higher risk of dying of this disease?
It's complicated. Some of it is socioeconomic. Some of it is also the result of medical disparities. They may get fewer health screenings, or they haven't received ethnic-specific health messages. There are genetic differences to consider, too. Black women are more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes, but they actually smoke less than white women do. Other ethnic traditions may put a different emphasis on diet and physical activity.
What can women do to reduce their risks of heart disease?
As for the basics: Be active, maintain a normal weight and don't smoke. Women also need to take their prescribed medications appropriately, such as beta blockers, blood thinners and aspirin, and they need to better manage other conditions that are risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Some women at high risk may also benefit from the use of supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids. These are all things you can talk to your doctor about.
Should I take aspirin?
Guidelines from the American Heart Association urge women to be more aggressive about cutting their heart disease and stroke risks. One of the recommendations is for women over 65 years of age to consider daily aspirin therapy.
The aspirin recommendation comes out of the ongoing Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, the largest study of heart disease risk factors in women. In 2005, the WHI group released a study showing that the most consistent benefit of aspirin for heart attack prevention was observed among women 65 years of age or older. Women in this age group who took aspirin had nearly one-third fewer cardiovascular events (heart attack and stroke) than did women who took a placebo. However, the women taking aspirin had more gastrointestinal bleeding as well.
The key word in these guidelines is "consider." The guidelines recommend that women consider taking aspirin — which means have a discussion with your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking aspirin based on your own individual stroke and heart attack risk. The higher your risk of heart attack or stroke, the more that risk is reduced by taking aspirin, but the higher your risk is of bleeding. So, it's a balance that each woman needs to discuss with her physician.
When you say 'be active,' what do you mean?
Exercise isn't the same as being busy. I have women tell me how busy they are, that they're always running around doing stuff, and they may be tired at the end of the day, but they aren't physically fit. Being active means doing something physical, getting exercise.
In my practice, I give concrete examples of what this means. For instance, it means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking, riding bikes with your kids. I tell women to get a pedometer and track their steps. The goal is to log 10,000 steps a day, which is about five miles. Don't be discouraged if you can't jog or join an exercise club, even a 30-minute walk every day results in big benefits for your heart.
Can you give an example of how someone you know made some simple heart-healthy changes?
I know a woman who works on the 11th floor. She was overweight and very out of shape. She started exercising by walking up just a few flights of stairs each morning and then taking the elevator the rest of the way when she got tired. One day, she realized she had walked all the way up to the 14th floor without realizing it or getting winded. Now, she walks up to the 18th floor and then back down to the 11th because it feels good and is a great start to her day. I can tell patients with a completely straight face that soon you'll want to do more exercise because you'll feel better.
What's a normal weight? How much weight should I try and lose?
There is no "normal" weight, but a normal body mass index (BMI) is helpful. This calculation helps you determine if you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat. BMI numbers of 25 or higher are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Remember, though, even losing 10 to 15 pounds can help by lowering your blood pressure and helping prevent diabetes — both of which increase your risk of heart disease.
Is the treatment for heart disease different for women?
In some women, plaques accumulate as an evenly spread layer along artery walls, which is not treatable using traditional methods such as angioplasty and stenting designed to flatten the bulky, irregular, not-so-subtle plaques in men's arteries. In women with these more diffuse plaques, drug treatment — rather than angioplasty or stenting — may be a better option.
We also know that men and women respond differently to certain heart medications, such as clot-busting drugs (thrombolytics). There is also a difference between men and women in the effects of aspirin therapy. In women, aspirin therapy seems to reduce the risk of stroke more than in men, while in men it reduces the risk of heart attack more than it reduces strokes.
What these differences suggest is that if we use the same treatment in women that we use in men without understanding those differences, we may actually increase women's risks of complications.
I've heard something about the connection between depression and heart disease in women. What's that about?
Depression is twice as common in women as in men, and it increases the risk of heart disease by two to three times compared with those who aren't depressed. It's estimated that about one in five women who has a heart attack or is hospitalized with heart failure has evidence of depression. We need to better diagnose and address depression because depression makes it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle and follow recommended treatment.
What's next in the effort to prevent heart disease in women?
Recent studies, especially those giving results for men and women, have helped us begin to identify gaps in our knowledge and will spur researchers to look for answers that will improve care for women. Doctors are becoming more aware of the different signs to watch for that may indicate a woman is having a heart attack — different than what men may experience.
Women and physicians also need to become better educated about heart disease in women. Knowledge helps women feel empowered to ask questions and learn more about how to prevent heart disease.
And as women become more informed about their risks, they'll be better able to follow through with healthier lifestyle habits.
Original Article:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/HB00040
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Apr 3, 2007
© 1998-2007 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Monday, April 9, 2007
The Power of Friendship Among Women - UCLA Study
UCLA Study on Friendship Among Women
By Gale Berkowitz
10-29-06
A landmark UCLA study suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are. By the way, they may do even more.
Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women.
It's a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research- --most of it on men---upside down. "Until this study was published, scientists generally believed that when people experience stress, they trigger a hormonal cascade that revs the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible," explains Laura Cousino Klein, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University and one of the study's authors. "It's an ancient survival mechanism left over from the time we were chased across the planet by saber-toothed tigers."
Now the researchers suspect that women have a larger behavioral repertoire than just "fight or flight." "In fact," says Dr. Klein, "it seems that when the hormone oxytocin is released as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the "fight or flight" response and encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect. This calming response does not occur in men", says Dr. Klein, "because testosterone---which men produce in high levels when they're under stress---seems to reduce the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen", she adds, "seems to enhance it."
The discovery that women respond to stress differently than men was made in a classic "aha!" moment shared by two women scientists who were talking one day in a lab at UCLA.
"There was this joke that when the women who worked in the lab were stressed, they came in, cleaned the lab, had coffee, and bonded", says Dr. Klein. "When the men were stressed, they holed up somewhere on their own. I commented one day to fellow researcher Shelley Taylor that nearly 90% of the stress research is on males. I showed her the data from my lab, and the two of us knew instantly that we were onto something."
The women cleared their schedules and started meeting with one scientist after another from various research specialties. Very quickly, Drs. Klein and Taylor discovered that by not including women in stress research, scientists had made a huge mistake: The fact that women respond to stress differently than men has significant implications for our health.
It may take some time for new studies to reveal all the ways that oxytocin encourages us to care for children and hang out with other women, but the "tend and befriend" notion developed by Drs. Klein and Taylor may explain why women consistently outlive men. Study after study has found that social ties reduce our risk of disease by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol.
"There's no doubt," says Dr. Klein, "that friends are helping us live." In one study, for example, researchers found that people who had no friends increased their risk of death over a 6-month period. In another study, those who had the most friends over a 9-year period cut their risk of death by more than 60%. Friends are also helping us live better. The famed Nurses' Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life.
In fact, the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidantes was as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight! And that's not all!
When the researchers looked at how well the women functioned after the death of their spouse, they found that even in the face of this biggest stressor of all, those women who had a close friend confidante were more likely to survive the experience without any new physical impairments or permanent loss of vitality.
Those without friends were not always so fortunate. Yet if friends counter the stress that seems to swallow up so much of our life these days, if they keep us healthy and even add years to our life, why is it so hard to find time to be with them? ....... That's a question that also troubles researcher Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., co-author of "Best Friends: The Pleasures and Perils of Girls' and Women's Friendships" (Three Rivers Press, 1998).
"Every time we get overly busy with work and family, the first thing we do is let go of friendships with other women," explains Dr. Josselson. We push them right to the back burner. That's really a mistake because women are such a source of strength to each other. We nurture one another. And we need to have un pressured space in which we can do the special kind of talk that women do when they're with other women. It's a very healing experience."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taylor, S. E., Klein, L.C., Lewis, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., Gurung, R.A.R., & Updegraff, J. A. "Female Responses to Stress: Tend and Befriend, Not Fight or Flight", Psychological Review, 107(3), 41-429.
By Gale Berkowitz
10-29-06
A landmark UCLA study suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are. By the way, they may do even more.
Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women.
It's a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research- --most of it on men---upside down. "Until this study was published, scientists generally believed that when people experience stress, they trigger a hormonal cascade that revs the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible," explains Laura Cousino Klein, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University and one of the study's authors. "It's an ancient survival mechanism left over from the time we were chased across the planet by saber-toothed tigers."
Now the researchers suspect that women have a larger behavioral repertoire than just "fight or flight." "In fact," says Dr. Klein, "it seems that when the hormone oxytocin is released as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the "fight or flight" response and encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect. This calming response does not occur in men", says Dr. Klein, "because testosterone---which men produce in high levels when they're under stress---seems to reduce the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen", she adds, "seems to enhance it."
The discovery that women respond to stress differently than men was made in a classic "aha!" moment shared by two women scientists who were talking one day in a lab at UCLA.
"There was this joke that when the women who worked in the lab were stressed, they came in, cleaned the lab, had coffee, and bonded", says Dr. Klein. "When the men were stressed, they holed up somewhere on their own. I commented one day to fellow researcher Shelley Taylor that nearly 90% of the stress research is on males. I showed her the data from my lab, and the two of us knew instantly that we were onto something."
The women cleared their schedules and started meeting with one scientist after another from various research specialties. Very quickly, Drs. Klein and Taylor discovered that by not including women in stress research, scientists had made a huge mistake: The fact that women respond to stress differently than men has significant implications for our health.
It may take some time for new studies to reveal all the ways that oxytocin encourages us to care for children and hang out with other women, but the "tend and befriend" notion developed by Drs. Klein and Taylor may explain why women consistently outlive men. Study after study has found that social ties reduce our risk of disease by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol.
"There's no doubt," says Dr. Klein, "that friends are helping us live." In one study, for example, researchers found that people who had no friends increased their risk of death over a 6-month period. In another study, those who had the most friends over a 9-year period cut their risk of death by more than 60%. Friends are also helping us live better. The famed Nurses' Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life.
In fact, the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidantes was as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight! And that's not all!
When the researchers looked at how well the women functioned after the death of their spouse, they found that even in the face of this biggest stressor of all, those women who had a close friend confidante were more likely to survive the experience without any new physical impairments or permanent loss of vitality.
Those without friends were not always so fortunate. Yet if friends counter the stress that seems to swallow up so much of our life these days, if they keep us healthy and even add years to our life, why is it so hard to find time to be with them? ....... That's a question that also troubles researcher Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., co-author of "Best Friends: The Pleasures and Perils of Girls' and Women's Friendships" (Three Rivers Press, 1998).
"Every time we get overly busy with work and family, the first thing we do is let go of friendships with other women," explains Dr. Josselson. We push them right to the back burner. That's really a mistake because women are such a source of strength to each other. We nurture one another. And we need to have un pressured space in which we can do the special kind of talk that women do when they're with other women. It's a very healing experience."
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Taylor, S. E., Klein, L.C., Lewis, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., Gurung, R.A.R., & Updegraff, J. A. "Female Responses to Stress: Tend and Befriend, Not Fight or Flight", Psychological Review, 107(3), 41-429.
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