Lower diligence level linked to higher cardiovascular disease risk in type 2 diabetes
According to research published in the open access journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, people with type 2 diabetes who exhibit lower levels of diligence may have a considerably increased chance of acquiring cardiovascular illness, with which diabetes is strongly connected.
The results indicate that although some personality qualities may affect the risk of cardiovascular disease, leading a healthy lifestyle is still advantageous regardless of degree of dedication.
Because maintaining healthy lifestyle habits and adhering to a tight medication regimen are essential for the effective management of type 2 diabetes, the researchers hypothesize that personality qualities may have a significant impact on the risk of cardiovascular disease.
They monitored the health of 8,794 type 2 diabetics who had signed up for the UK Biobank study between 2006 and 2010 until the end of 2021 in order to investigate this further.
The Big Five personality traits—extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and neuroticism—were used to evaluate the psychological makeup and personalities of the participants.
Since direct measures of these attributes are not collected for the UK Biobank study, self-reported data on mental health, psychological factors, and social support were used to develop proxies. These stand-ins included warmth, friendliness, hard work, curiosity, and anxiety.
Over the course of a 13-year observation period on average, 2110 individuals got cardiovascular disease.
Even after adjusting for potentially significant variables, diligence was linked to a significantly decreased chance of getting cardiovascular disease of any kind. During the tracking period, there was a 7% reduction in the likelihood of any type of cardiovascular incident among those who exhibited this feature.
Additionally, they had a 10% lower risk of having a heart attack, a 17% lower risk of an ischemic stroke (a stroke brought on by a blood clot), an 8% lower risk of atrial fibrillation (an abnormal heart rhythm), and a 16% lower risk of developing heart failure.
Furthermore, compared to individuals who didn’t exhibit this quality, they were also more likely to lead healthy lifestyles. However, individuals who led healthy lifestyles outperformed those who led bad ones in terms of cardiovascular outcomes, regardless of amount of attentiveness.
As a stand-in for conscientiousness, diligence is defined as resourceful, orderly, and structured conduct that is evident in a number of characteristics, including orderliness and industriousness. The researchers say that prior research has indicated that those who possess this feature are more likely to engage in physical activity and are less likely to smoke.
Since this study is observational in nature, causation and effect cannot be established. The researchers also note that their findings have a number of limitations. For instance, psychological variables like anxiety and depression are known to be linked to cardiovascular disease, but this study was unable to fully assess their impact.
Furthermore, data on treatment compliance rates or potentially significant lifestyle factors including alcohol intake, nutrition, and sleep habits were not provided. The majority of participants in the UK Biobank study are white as well, therefore results might not generalize to other racial or ethnic groups.
Nevertheless, the researchers conclude, “Among personality traits, a lower diligence level was significantly associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction [heart attack], ischemic stroke, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure, in patients with type 2 diabetes.”
“Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors were more common in patients with low diligence scores compared to high diligence scores,” they continue. In both patient groups, however, there was a protective relationship between cardiovascular illnesses and healthy lifestyle characteristics.
“These findings highlight the importance of assessing personality traits for cardiovascular risk prediction and modifying lifestyle factors as preventive strategies for patients with type 2 diabetes.”
