Handling Stress Well Could Raise Your 'Good' Cholesterol

Do you have good coping skills? Do you handle stress well? If so, your HDL ('good' cholesterol) levels may be higher than your more stressed out counterparts. A press release recently issued by the American Psychological Association suggests that individuals who are hostile and stressed may have lower HDL levels. This study examined a little over 700 caucasian men and their ability to cope with stressful situations. The researchers in this study noted that the men who were most hostile and stressed had lower HDL levels than those men who were able to cope well. They could not establish a definite link between LDL cholesterol and stress. Although this study focused only on a particular group of people, the researchers believe that this may extend to other groups as well. Despite the fact that future studies are needed, this study may shed light on missing link between high stress and heart disease.