Hello from your heart and brain:

We are contacting you to inform you about recent research published in the AHA Circulation (Yes, we read journals daily).

🧠 Brain: Scientists used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) (Philips) to study my amygdalar metabolic activity, which is known to be a marker of stress-related neural activity (SNA).

❤️ Heart: They used software (Siemens Healthineers) to study the coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) images of my anatomy. They measured several parameters that quantified the plaque burden in my vessels and the fat attenuation index (FAI), indicative of cardiac inflammation.

And guess what they found…

🔎 Women with increased SNA expressed more prominent coronary inflammation.
🔎 Men with increased SNA expressed a higher prevalence of high-risk coronary plaques.
🔎 Imaging biomarkers of SNA could be a robust predictor of cardiac endpoints, irrespective of sex.
🔎 Women were more vulnerable to SNA assessed by imaging with a higher incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events than men among those with enhanced neural activity.

In plain English, stress is not our best friend.

Now that you know what happens to us internally and probably already know that not everything is under your control in the external world, please use stress-reduction tools and techniques to take care of us (Hint: one of our best friends is your BREATH! Oh my, that guy makes everything better).

With a better-regulated nervous system, please take action to address whatever is bothering you, and our healthier versions will always support you!

Cheers!

Sending love and calming neuronal responses,
Your heart and brain

Research source: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.123.016057