Non-Dietary Causes Of Heart Disease.
A Lacking Social Support System
Traditionally, Japanese people living in Japan have very low rates of heart disease and cancer. But
when Japanese began immigrating in large numbers to the United States, their newly adopted lifestyle and
diet often proved disastrous for their health. By the second generation in their new home, their health
advantage over the American population was completely gone. First it was hypothesized that the typical
American diet rich in fats was responsible for this development. But soon the heart disease-diet-
cholesterol theory received a severe blow.
One subgroup among the Japanese immigrants in California continued to have very low rates of heart
disease, irrespective of whether their blood cholesterol levels were high or low. The group consisted of
males who retained their sense of being Japanese by growing up in a Japanese neighborhood, by
participating in traditional Japanese cultural and social events, and by learning and speaking their mother
tongue. The close family ties and social support system were the only factors that prevented them from
developing degenerative heart disease. Even if they had personal problems at home or financial
difficulties, they had a large family to lean on and to give them moral and often financial support.
A Swedish study confirmed that frequent social interactions among men, such as friendships, golf
outings, poker nights, etc., translated into a higher than 50 percent reduction in heart disease among test
subjects. As far as I know, no prescription drug can come close to boasting such results. The feeling of
being rejected, left behind and lonely can be a "heart-breaking" event that easily can turn a healthy heart
into a sick heart.
It is well known that women are in greater need of support and understanding during pregnancy. An
epidemiological study on pregnant women showed that 91 percent of those who felt unsupported by
family and friends suffered serious complications during pregnancy. The women reported that they were
leading stressful lives with little or no social support. Similar studies on unemployed men have revealed
that those men who felt strong support from family, relatives and friends were less likely to develop
physical or mental problems.
Greatest Risk Factors: Job Satisfaction And Happiness Rating
One the most important discoveries ever made about man's number one killer disease is rarely
mentioned in reports on heart disease and its contributing risks, but this doesn't make it less real. The
greatest risk factors of developing heart disease are job satisfaction and the happiness rating. These
unexpected risk factors turned up when American researchers looked once more for clues to the causes of
heart disease.
If you ask a man on the street whether he is satisfied with his job and generally happy with his life, his
answer will give you a fairly accurate prognosis about his heart health. It would be too simplistic to
assume that heart disease is only caused by stress, cigarette smoking, overeating, alcohol abuse, etc. These
risk factors are not the ultimate causes of a dysfunctional heart, but rather the effects or symptoms of plain
dissatisfaction in life. The origins of all major causes of heart disease (lack of happiness and contentment)
may still be there after all the other risk factors or causes have been eliminated. A large number of people
have died from heart attacks with perfectly clean arteries and no other tangible, physical reasons. Many of
them have never even smoked, abused alcohol or led a particularly stressful life. But they were unhappy
within themselves.