High Levels of Well-Being Protect Against Cardiovascular Disease

General happiness plus satisfaction with family, friendships, health, and finances tied to CVD risks

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) — High levels of well-being may protect against the risks for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), according to a study published online Sept. 18 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Jinghui Zhong, from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, and colleagues used data from 121,317 participants in the U.K. Biobank to assess the relationship of a well-being index using general happiness and satisfaction with family, friendships, health, and finance situations with four major CVDs.

The researchers found that higher well-being was associated with a significantly reduced risk for various CVDs. Four distinct well-being groups were identified in latent class analysis (low, variable, moderate-to-high, and high satisfaction), with higher satisfaction levels generally associated with a lower risk for CVDs. There were potential causal relationships between well-being and a reduced risk for CVDs using Mendelian randomization. There were associations between greater well-being and healthier behaviors and lower levels of inflammatory markers. These lifestyle and inflammatory markers partially mediated the relationship between well-being and CVDs.

“Enhancing well-being could lead to a reduced incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, warranting focused prevention trials. Additionally, exploring the biological indicators bridging well-being and CVD may offer fresh perspectives on its pathogenesis,” the authors write.