By IANS
New York : Stay cool if you want to increase good cholesterol levels and save yourself from a heart attack.
Keeping cool in a stressful condition could add years to life, indicates a new study by University of Hawaii psychologist Loriena A. Yancura and her team.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that occurs naturally in all parts of the body. There are two types of cholesterols – high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL cholesterol is known as good cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack.
High levels of LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol in the blood can, however, increase the risk of heart disease. If it increases in blood, it can stick to the walls of arteries.
The researchers worked with 716 men, almost all of them white, with an average age of 65, who took part in the long-term study on aging, reported the health portal Health Central.
Each participant was asked to describe his most stressful situation encountered in the previous week and was asked to choose among 26 strategies for coping with stress. Those strategies were scored on the basis of hostility the men displayed and other characteristics.
Blood samples were taken from the men after an overnight fast and measured for levels of HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and fats called triglycerides.
Lower HDL levels were found in the men who used hostility as a coping strategy and among those demonstrating self-blame and self-isolation.
The speculation is that men who keep cool and control their hostility avoid increasing levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, which affect blood fat levels, she said.
“The theory is that if you stay calm, you actually decrease levels of stress hormones.”