Fear of Terrorist Attacks Is Connected with Heart Disease

Israeli researchers have found that fearand heart disease are linked. Their study,which involved 1153 healthy men andwomen, compared fear of terror attackswith levels of C-reactive protein. The proteinis a strong predictor of atherosclerosisand other cardiovascular diseases. Theresults showed that fear of terror almostdoubled the risk of high C-reactive proteinamong the women.

Lead researcher Samuel Melamed,PhD, concluded, "This study demonstratesfor the first time, in a sample of apparentlyhealthy workers, that the psychologicalreaction of chronic fear of terror has a negativeimpact on health in women." (Thefindings were reported in PsychosomaticMedicine, July/August 2004.)