The researchers studied 5,93,616 adults aged between 18-49 years old for three years to arrive at this conclusion.

Poor mental health accelerates the risk of cardiovascular diseases, a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) has found.

The researchers studied 5,93,616 adults aged between 18-49 years old for three years to arrive at this conclusion.

People who reported poor mental health or depression for one to thirteen days in a 30-day period were found to be 1.48 times more likely to acquire cardiovascular disease than those who did not report any mental disorders during that period. The participants who reported 14 to 30 days of poor mental health in the 30 day period were 2.29 times more likely to develop the disease.

According to the study, one in every 5 participants reported having a poor state of mental health. A 2017 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that almost 5 percent of the world’s total population is affected by depression. The UN body added that depression was one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and that it was also a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.

A similar study in 2014 published in European Heart Journal also found that people with depression have higher mortality rates than those who don’t report any such issue.

The studies assert that prioritizing mental health may help in reducing the cardiovascular diseases among adults, and stress the importance of seeking professional help.

Also read : An egg a day keeps the cardiologist away: study

Author

Insha Dar

Insha Mushtaq, a health reporter for The Health Leads, hails originally from Srinagar, Kashmir. She possesses an uncanny ability to distill complex issues into accessible and engaging articles. In addition, Insha holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Mumbai University and is currently pursuing a Master's in Convergent Journalism at the Central University of Kashmir.
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