Menopausal women who bottle up their feelings are putting themselves at greater risk of a stroke, research shows
- Research shows they have more furred-up neck arteries than those who vent
- Pittsburgh and Chicago University found that venting feelings could be lifesaver
- ‘Self-silencing’ women were 14% more likely to have carotid artery plaques
- Stroke Association Georgian Hill said: ‘Stroke can strike anyone at any time’
Menopausal women who bottle up their emotions are putting themselves at greater risk of suffering a stroke.
New research has found that they tend to have more furred-up neck arteries than women who vent their feelings.
This could increase their chance of suffering a potentially devastating stroke, because chunks of artery ‘plaque’ can break away and get lodged in the brain, causing a blockage.
The study, which looked at 304 middle-aged women, suggests that venting feelings now and again – rather than quietly seething with fury – might be a lifesaver.
New research has found that menopausal women who bottle up their emotions rather than vent put themselves at a greater risk of stroke (file image)
The team from Pittsburgh University and Chicago University found that ‘self-silencing was associated with greater carotid plaque’, the two carotid arteries being those which carry blood from the heart to the brain.
The finding held true even after taking into account other factors that could skew the results, such as age, weight, cholesterol levels and depression, with ‘self-silencing’ women 14 per cent more likely to have carotid artery plaques.
Psychologist Karen Jakubowski, of Pittsburgh University, said such women might ‘experience more stress, especially in their intimate relationships’. As a result they could produce higher levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, or suffer increased chronic inflammation, which have both been linked to the development of artery plaques.
The researchers found that they tend to have more furred-up neck arteries than women who vent their feelings (file image)
Georgina Hill, of the Stroke Association, urged caution about the findings, adding: ‘There are things you can do to reduce your risk of stroke, such as getting your blood pressure checked and making healthy changes in your everyday life. Stroke can strike anyone at any time.’