(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Short durations of stress may cause the body to keep heart-damaging fats in the bloodstream for longer periods of time, according to a recent Ohio State University study.
Researchers tested the rate at which triglycerides, a type of fat existing in 95 percent of food and linked to heart disease, cleared the bloodstream of volunteers during short periods of stress compared to times of rest.
"We wanted to do a study to see what happens to the metabolism, or the breakdown of fat, when you are under stress," said Dr. Catherine Stoney, professor of psychology and co-author of the study.
Results showed the body took longer to break down triglycerides during times of stress.
"It is too early to make recommendations that you shouldn't have a milkshake when you are stressed," Stoney said. However, triglycerides will be more likely to be deposited in the cell walls of arteries where it can lead to heart disease because the fat is remaining in the bloodstream longer.
Stoney and her colleagues recruited 70 healthy, non-smoking, middle-aged men and women from the Columbus area to participate in two separate testing sessions.
The participants were divided into two groups. One group was composed of adults between the ages of 40-48 years, and the other group was between the ages of 54-61 years. Researchers considered both premenopausal and post-menopausal women in the study.
During one of the two testing sessions participants were asked to rest quietly for 30 minutes.
In the other testing session, participants performed a series of tests designed to invoke stress for 40 minutes.
Researchers conducted each of the testing sessions twice. Before each testing session the participants were injected with a solution containing triglycerides. Blood samples were taken from each participant every five minutes for 40 minutes.
"We were struck in particular by the consistency of the responses. Everyone was slower to break down the fat during stress," Stoney said.
Triglyceride levels declined an average of 2.8 percent per minute during short-term stress, compared to a decline of 3.2 percent per minute when participants were at rest.
Results showed no significant differences in the metabolism rate between the two age groups or genders. However, female participants were more efficient at clearing triglycerides from their bloodstream than male participants during periods of rest.
Heart disease is the single leading cause of death among men and women in the United States, but it affects women about 10 years later than in affects men, Stoney said.
According to the American Heart Association, almost 62 million Americans suffer from one or more forms of heart disease.
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