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By Pandora Dewan
Senior Science Reporter
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Racial discrimination may increase the risk of young Black adults developing cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests.
Roughly 1 in 3 adults in the United States have what is known as metabolic syndrome—a cluster of conditions that dramatically increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, metabolic syndrome is characterized by having three or more of the following: abdominal obesity; high blood pressure; high blood sugar levels; high blood fat levels; and low levels of "good" cholesterol.
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Experts don't fully understand what causes metabolic syndrome, although it appears to result from a combination of lifestyle factors and genetics. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are commonly associated with metabolic syndrome, but age, fat distribution and chronic stress may also contribute.
The relationship between metabolic syndrome and race is unclear, with Black women being disproportionately affected.
With chronic stress being a known risk factor for metabolic syndrome, researchers from Northwestern University set about investigating whether stress caused by racial discrimination could predispose Black individuals to metabolic syndrome, and subsequently cardiovascular disease.
In the study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, 322 Black participants between the ages of 19 and 21 were asked how frequently they were exposed to racial discrimination. Five to 10 years later, the team followed up with the participants and found that those who had received higher exposure to racial discrimination during adolescence were at a 9.5 percent higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome by the age of 31.
These same individuals were also more likely to have higher levels of chronic sleep problems by the age of 25.
"These findings suggest that racial discrimination predisposes Black young adults to metabolic syndrome via sleep problems and inflammation," the authors write.
"Over time, these sleep disturbances may have adverse effects on metabolism, which could serve as a clear pathway through which poor sleep contributes to metabolic syndrome. Similarly, research has revealed that discrimination is linked to markers of inflammation, and inflammation's role in the [development] of cardiometabolic diseases is well understood."
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The study has several limitations. Significantly, the relatively small group of participants was all based in the rural South. Sleep quality was determined by subjective measurements, and the findings themselves are associative in nature. In other words, we cannot confirm that exposure to racial discrimination actually causes these changes in inflammation and sleep quality.
However, these results add to a growing body of evidence that racial discrimination can affect health in later life and should, therefore, be considered when making decisions about public health.
"These associations suggest that racial discrimination has persistent and detrimental effects on health," the authors write. "Health interventions for metabolic syndrome in Black adults will need to contend with sleep behaviors and inflammatory intermediaries as well as address and reduce exposure to racial discrimination to narrow disparities and promote health equity."
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