Incredible but true: optimism may have a protective effect against type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women.
More and more studies attest to the protective and/or saving role of optimism on health. Recently, researchers from the University of Bloomington (Indiana, United States) examined whether personality traits such as optimism, emotional sensitivity, negative emotions or even hostility could be associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women.
A total of 139,924 postmenopausal women without diabetes at the start of the study and aged 50 to 79 years were followed for an average of 14 years (range 0.1 to 23 years). The researchers collected information about their traits of personality through questionnaires, then the Cox Proportional Hazards Model (statistical software) was used to assess the associations between these data and the incidence of diabetes, adjusting for common demographic factors of the participants, their behaviors related to their health and their possible depressive symptoms.
Negative women are 12% more likely to suffer from diabetes
During the follow-up of these women, 19,240 cases of diabetes were diagnosed. The researchers found that the most optimistic women had a 12% lower risk of developing type 2 cancer, compared to other women. Conversely, those most likely to repeatedly express negative emotions had a 9% higher risk, and those most hostile were 17% more likely to develop diabetes. It should be noted that the association of hostility with the risk of diabetes was stronger in non-obese women than in those who were.
“Low optimism and high negativity, as well as hostility, were associated with an increased risk of diabetes in postmenopausal women, independent of major health behaviors and depressive symptoms, the researchers note. health, the personality traits of women should be taken into account to guide strategies for clinical intervention or for the prevention of diabetes”.
Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90% of cases and generally occurs in adulthood in people over 40 who are overweight. It is characterized by too high blood sugar levels. A good balanced diet and regular physical activity, along with weight loss, can prevent the disease from progressing and are part of the treatment, in the same way as drugs which have now demonstrated their ability to reduce cardiovascular risk and mortality. But seriously considering patients’ personality traits as possible risk factors could help healthcare professionals better prevent the disease.
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