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Older white men who have an optimistic nature have about half the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes as their less optimistic peers, according to Dr. Erik J. Giltay of the Institute of Mental Health, Delft, the Netherlands, and his associates.
The researchers used data from a large, prospective study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in healthy, middle-aged Dutch men to examine a possible link with dispositional optimism. Their study differed from previous research in that it adjusted for classic CVD risk factors, socioeconomic characteristics, and depression.
Dispositional optimism was defined as having “generalized positive expectancies for one's future.” It was measured using a four-item questionnaire in which subjects rated their agreement with the following statements: “I still expect much from life,” “I do not look forward to what lies ahead for me in the years to come,” “My days seem to be passing by slowly,” and “I am still full of plans.”
A total of 545 healthy men aged 64–84 years in 1985 began the study and were followed up at 5-year intervals until 2000. During that time, 373 (68.4%) died, including 187 (50.1%) who died of cardiovascular causes.
“Compared with men in the lowest tertile of dispositional optimism, those in the top tertile had a 55% lower multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio of cardiovascular mortality,” the investigators said (Arch. Intern. Med. 2006;166:431–6).
Optimism was not related to CVD risk factors such as body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, or HDL cholesterol levels. It also proved to be a relatively constant personality trait through the years.
“Our results demonstrate a strong and consistent association between dispositional optimism and an about 50% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality in elderly men during 15 years of follow-up,” Dr. Giltay and his associates said.
“A low subjectively perceived level of optimism should be added to the list of independent risk markers for cardiovascular mortality in elderly men,” they said. The study findings may not be generalizable to women or to other ethnic groups, as all of the subjects were white men, the researchers noted.
Older white men who have an optimistic nature have about half the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes as their less optimistic peers, according to Dr. Erik J. Giltay of the Institute of Mental Health, Delft, the Netherlands, and his associates.
The researchers used data from a large, prospective study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in healthy, middle-aged Dutch men to examine a possible link with dispositional optimism. Their study differed from previous research in that it adjusted for classic CVD risk factors, socioeconomic characteristics, and depression.
Dispositional optimism was defined as having “generalized positive expectancies for one's future.” It was measured using a four-item questionnaire in which subjects rated their agreement with the following statements: “I still expect much from life,” “I do not look forward to what lies ahead for me in the years to come,” “My days seem to be passing by slowly,” and “I am still full of plans.”
A total of 545 healthy men aged 64–84 years in 1985 began the study and were followed up at 5-year intervals until 2000. During that time, 373 (68.4%) died, including 187 (50.1%) who died of cardiovascular causes.
“Compared with men in the lowest tertile of dispositional optimism, those in the top tertile had a 55% lower multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio of cardiovascular mortality,” the investigators said (Arch. Intern. Med. 2006;166:431–6).
Optimism was not related to CVD risk factors such as body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, or HDL cholesterol levels. It also proved to be a relatively constant personality trait through the years.
“Our results demonstrate a strong and consistent association between dispositional optimism and an about 50% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality in elderly men during 15 years of follow-up,” Dr. Giltay and his associates said.
“A low subjectively perceived level of optimism should be added to the list of independent risk markers for cardiovascular mortality in elderly men,” they said. The study findings may not be generalizable to women or to other ethnic groups, as all of the subjects were white men, the researchers noted.
Older white men who have an optimistic nature have about half the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes as their less optimistic peers, according to Dr. Erik J. Giltay of the Institute of Mental Health, Delft, the Netherlands, and his associates.
The researchers used data from a large, prospective study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in healthy, middle-aged Dutch men to examine a possible link with dispositional optimism. Their study differed from previous research in that it adjusted for classic CVD risk factors, socioeconomic characteristics, and depression.
Dispositional optimism was defined as having “generalized positive expectancies for one's future.” It was measured using a four-item questionnaire in which subjects rated their agreement with the following statements: “I still expect much from life,” “I do not look forward to what lies ahead for me in the years to come,” “My days seem to be passing by slowly,” and “I am still full of plans.”
A total of 545 healthy men aged 64–84 years in 1985 began the study and were followed up at 5-year intervals until 2000. During that time, 373 (68.4%) died, including 187 (50.1%) who died of cardiovascular causes.
“Compared with men in the lowest tertile of dispositional optimism, those in the top tertile had a 55% lower multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio of cardiovascular mortality,” the investigators said (Arch. Intern. Med. 2006;166:431–6).
Optimism was not related to CVD risk factors such as body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, or HDL cholesterol levels. It also proved to be a relatively constant personality trait through the years.
“Our results demonstrate a strong and consistent association between dispositional optimism and an about 50% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality in elderly men during 15 years of follow-up,” Dr. Giltay and his associates said.
“A low subjectively perceived level of optimism should be added to the list of independent risk markers for cardiovascular mortality in elderly men,” they said. The study findings may not be generalizable to women or to other ethnic groups, as all of the subjects were white men, the researchers noted.