Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Good cholesterol low in Type A's Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 16:10:35 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \SS (WS) \HD Good cholesterol low in Type A's \BY ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT NEW ORLEANS NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Hard-driving, competitive Type A's may face a higher risk of heart attacks because their bodies make unusually small amounts of protective good cholesterol, according to a study released yesterday. Since the 1950s, doctors have suspected that people with aggressive personalities are more likely than laid-back folks to suffer heart attacks. But there had been little scientific evidence to explain this phenomenon. The latest study suggests that low levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, can explain almost all of the increased risk for Type A's. If later research confirms this link, it will provide more ammunition for those who believe stress reduction is good for the heart. "Type A's have substantially lower HDL. That seems to explain their greater risk of heart attacks," said Dr. JoAnn Manson of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who directed the study. Like many other studies over the years, hers found that Type A's were about 50 percent more likely than easygoing Type B's to suffer heart attacks. Dr. Manson's study concludes that the traditional Type A characteristics are strongly associated with a higher risk of heart attack. In her study, people were considered Type A's if they: * Try to achieve many poorly defined goals. * Love competition. * Crave recognition and advancement. * Are always in a hurry. * Have intense concentration and alertness. * Become angry easily. Her study, presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association, found that Type A HDL levels were about 10 points lower than Type B levels. A one-point drop in HDL is thought to increase the risk of heart attack by about 3 percent. The study "suggests that Type A personality is associated with lower HDL. But it doesn't prove cause and effect," said Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland. Some doctors said the new theory makes sense. They said people who push themselves produce higher levels of stress hormones, such as adrenalin, and these could lower HDL levels. Dr. Thomas Clarkson of the Bowman Gray medical school has shown this effect in animal studies. Dr. Manson's study was based on a comparison of 349 heart-attack survivors and a comparison group of people who were the same age and sex and lived in the same towns. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM