Recent publications on Residual Risk

Finally, there is a report from the Midlife in the U.S. study that persistently high levels of psychological well-being measures may favourably impact lipids, specifically reducing the likelihood of the atherogenic dyslipidaemic profile.
 
The authors measured longitudinal profiles of psychological well-being over 9–10 years in 1054 subjects, aged 34 to 84 years, 55% of whom were female. Psychological well-being was evaluated on six scales: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self- acceptance. Each scale consisted of three items, with a mix of positive and negative items. Subjects indicated the extent from 1 (strongly agree) to 7 (strongly disagree) to which the statements described them. Negative items were reverse coded so that higher scores reflected more positive appraisal.
 
Subjects with persistently high levels of environmental mastery and self-acceptance had significantly higher levels of HDL-C and lower levels of triglycerides than those with lower levels. Indeed, the 2–5 mg/dl increase in HDL-C observed in subjects with higher than lower well-being scores predicted a 4–10% reduction in coronary heart disease, comparable with that expected from lifestyle interventions. In contrast, longitudinal trajectories of psychological well-being were not linked to variations in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
 
Although there were limitations to this study, the findings add to emerging literature linking psychological well-being with lipid profiles and merit further study.