This article is part ofHealth Divide: Heart Disease Risk Factors, a destination in our Health Divide series.Xiaoyu Liu / VerywellMeet the ExpertJessica Shepherd, MD, MBA, FACOG, is a board-certified OB-GYN and the former Chief Medical Officer for Verywell Health. She is the founder and CEO of Sanctum Med + Wellness, a wellness concierge practice, and is affiliated with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.Verywell Health: How does stress impact heart disease risk?Dr. Shepherd:Stressplays a big part in any disease state involving inflammation. Therefore, stress is a big risk factor for a number of health conditions, including heart disease.Many environmental factors can influence stress levels, including:Access to health careQuality of health carePoverty or financial insecurityFood accessAccess to quality food can be a big stressor, especially in certain communities that just don’t have access or financial means to purchase high-quality food. This creates even more barriers to living heart-healthy.What we’ve seen in studies is that over time, even spanning back to slavery, disparities exist in certain minority communities.These disparities cause stress, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease. That disease then becomes a genetic risk factor over time. That’s how stress can play a particularly large role in the likelihood of a disease state in people of color.
This article is part ofHealth Divide: Heart Disease Risk Factors, a destination in our Health Divide series.
Xiaoyu Liu / Verywell
Meet the ExpertJessica Shepherd, MD, MBA, FACOG, is a board-certified OB-GYN and the former Chief Medical Officer for Verywell Health. She is the founder and CEO of Sanctum Med + Wellness, a wellness concierge practice, and is affiliated with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
Meet the Expert
Jessica Shepherd, MD, MBA, FACOG, is a board-certified OB-GYN and the former Chief Medical Officer for Verywell Health. She is the founder and CEO of Sanctum Med + Wellness, a wellness concierge practice, and is affiliated with Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
Verywell Health: How does stress impact heart disease risk?
Dr. Shepherd:Stressplays a big part in any disease state involving inflammation. Therefore, stress is a big risk factor for a number of health conditions, including heart disease.
Many environmental factors can influence stress levels, including:
Access to quality food can be a big stressor, especially in certain communities that just don’t have access or financial means to purchase high-quality food. This creates even more barriers to living heart-healthy.
What we’ve seen in studies is that over time, even spanning back to slavery, disparities exist in certain minority communities.These disparities cause stress, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease. That disease then becomes a genetic risk factor over time. That’s how stress can play a particularly large role in the likelihood of a disease state in people of color.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu YZ, Wang YX, Jiang CL.Inflammation: the common pathway of stress-related diseases.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:316. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316Esenwa C, Ilunga Tshiswaka D, Gebregziabher M, Ovbiagele B.Historical slavery and modern-day stroke mortality in the united states stroke belt.Stroke. 2018;49(2):465-469. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.020169Kramer MR, Black NC, Matthews SA, James SA.The legacy of slavery and contemporary declines in heart disease mortality in the U.S. South.SSM - Population Health. 2017;3:609-617. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.07.004
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu YZ, Wang YX, Jiang CL.Inflammation: the common pathway of stress-related diseases.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:316. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316Esenwa C, Ilunga Tshiswaka D, Gebregziabher M, Ovbiagele B.Historical slavery and modern-day stroke mortality in the united states stroke belt.Stroke. 2018;49(2):465-469. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.020169Kramer MR, Black NC, Matthews SA, James SA.The legacy of slavery and contemporary declines in heart disease mortality in the U.S. South.SSM - Population Health. 2017;3:609-617. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.07.004
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Liu YZ, Wang YX, Jiang CL.Inflammation: the common pathway of stress-related diseases.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:316. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316Esenwa C, Ilunga Tshiswaka D, Gebregziabher M, Ovbiagele B.Historical slavery and modern-day stroke mortality in the united states stroke belt.Stroke. 2018;49(2):465-469. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.020169Kramer MR, Black NC, Matthews SA, James SA.The legacy of slavery and contemporary declines in heart disease mortality in the U.S. South.SSM - Population Health. 2017;3:609-617. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.07.004
Liu YZ, Wang YX, Jiang CL.Inflammation: the common pathway of stress-related diseases.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:316. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316
Esenwa C, Ilunga Tshiswaka D, Gebregziabher M, Ovbiagele B.Historical slavery and modern-day stroke mortality in the united states stroke belt.Stroke. 2018;49(2):465-469. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.117.020169
Kramer MR, Black NC, Matthews SA, James SA.The legacy of slavery and contemporary declines in heart disease mortality in the U.S. South.SSM - Population Health. 2017;3:609-617. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.07.004
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