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THE METABOLIC SYNDROME IS RELATED TO NEGATIVE EMOTIONS | |
| Contact: John F. Todaro, Ph.D. Phone: 401-793-8008 Email: John_Todaro@brown.edu Embargoed until: March 4, 2005 |
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Vancouver, BC, Canada: The American Psychosomatic Society, at its forthcoming conference in Vancouver, Canada, will highlight a symposium entitled "The Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Definitions, Epidemiology, and Future Directions. " This symposium will feature scientists from the United States and Canada researching the metabolic syndrome and its relationship to common negative emotions, such as depression and hostility. The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors, including insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure. Twenty-four percent of the U.S. population meets the clinical definition for the metabolic syndrome. In adults over 50 years of age, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is approximately 44%. Individuals with the metabolic syndrome are at high risk for the development of coronary heart disease and diabetes. This symposium will begin with introductory remarks by the symposium chairman Dr. John Todaro from the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at Brown Medical School. The first presenter, Dr. Jeanne McCaffery from the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at Brown Medical School, will discuss current clinical definitions for the metabolic syndrome and present results of a study examining the statistical structure of metabolic syndrome. The second presenter, Dr. Wolfgang Linden from the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, will present research findings examining whether hostility facilitates the development of high blood pressure in overweight individuals. The third presenter and chairman of the symposium, Dr. John Todaro, will present data from the Normative Aging Study, a longitudinal study examining the biomedical and psychosocial changes involved in the normal aging process in men. This presentation will discuss the relationship between hostility, depression, and the development of the metabolic syndrome in older males. The fourth presenter, Dr. Edward Suarez from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, will present the results of a study investigating the role of inflammation as a potential mechanism linking hostility to the development of the metabolic syndrome. Finally, Dr. Raymond Niaura, a senior scientist and expert on the metabolic syndrome from Brown Medical School, will conclude the symposium with a discussion of the aforementioned studies and directions for future research. | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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