Key result
High hostile male undergraduates consumed more salt than low hostile subjects across conditions, and harassed high hostile subjects exhibited greater cardiac output and systolic blood pressure.
Why the study?
Does interpersonal stress increase sodium consumption and cardiovascular reactivity in high versus low hostile male undergraduates?
Does interpersonal stress increase sodium consumption and cardiovascular reactivity in high versus low hostile male undergraduates?
High hostility is associated with increased baseline salt intake and, when combined with interpersonal stress, greater cardiovascular reactivity, potentially contributing to cardiovascular disease risk.
Hostility may increase salt intake and stress reactivity in male undergraduates; hypothesis-generating for CVD pathways, needs clinical validation.
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have reported poorer health behaviors in high vs. low hostile subjects. The role of stress in these observed differences has not been explored although interpersonal stress does increase cardiovascular response in high hostiles. Given evidence that stress may induce increased salt-intake, this study examined the role of hostility and interpersonal stress in increasing sodium consumption in addition to cardiovascular reactivity. METHOD: Sixty-nine male undergraduates were categorized into high (HiHo) and low hostile (LoHo) groups based on Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory scores. Subjects engaged in either a math task with harassment, math task without harassment, or a control/rest condition. Sodium intake was assessed posttask by having subjects ingest a sodium-free soup that was presented with a saltshaker without any comments. Cardiovascular measures were also recorded. RESULTS: HiHo subjects consumed more salt than LoHo subjects irrespective of experimental condition. HiHo subjects who were harassed also exhibited greater cardiac output, systolic blood pressure, and forearm blood flow than did HiHo nonharassed, HiHo control, or LoHo subjects. CONCLUSION: HiHo subjects exhibited increased salt-intake, although evidence for stress-induced salt-intake was not obtained. Nonetheless, the combination of salt and stress may contribute to the cardiovascular hyperreactivity and risk for cardiovascular disease in hostile individuals.
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Miller et al. (1998) studied Hostility and cardiovascular response (n=69). Math task with or without harassment vs. Control/rest condition was evaluated on Sodium intake and cardiovascular measures. High hostile male undergraduates consumed more salt than low hostile subjects across conditions, and harassed high hostile subjects exhibited greater cardiac output and systolic blood pressure.
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