Simply maintaining a positive attitude seemed to help prevent death from any cause over five years among heart disease patients, and also made it more likely that they would exercise, a new European study concludes. What’s more, the heart patients who did exercise were 50 percent less likely to die during the five-year study than those who didn’t work out.
The participants were mostly men who had ischemic heart disease, a condition in which blood flow to the heart is reduced and may cause chest pain (angina). The researchers noted that patients with this form of heart disease often suffer from depression, anxiety and other negative emotions, all of which are linked to several major heart problems and death. The contribution of these negative influences seems to remain despite advances in treatment that have reduced deaths from ischemic heart disease.
Overall, the study showed that a positive outlook was more common in men who had higher education, were employed and had a lower likelihood of diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than others in the study. They were also were less likely to have a prescription for a diuretic, use medications for depression, anxiety or other mental disorders, and less likely to be hospitalized (as were those who exercised).
