Stress Affects How Blood Vessels Function

Stress increases the risk of developing heart disease and researchers think they have found out why. In a recent study they asked 10 healthy men to defend themselves to an audience against a false charge of shoplifting. In all of the men the stress caused the endothelium, that's the lining of the blood vessels, to function abnormally for at least 4 hours afterwards. The scientists have suggested that abnormal functioning of the blood vessel lining encourages fatty deposits to fur up the vessel, producing heart disease and other problems. Article about what causes arterial disease, heart attacks and strokes.