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Study: Financial stress could be as harmful to the heart as smoking or high blood pressure
17th January, 2026 09:35 AM
Worrying about money and food may age the heart even faster than traditional risk factors of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and the findings raise new questions about how financial stress fits into cardiovascular health and what people can do to protect their hearts.
I turned to CNN wellness expert Leana Wen to help explain how financial stress can affect the heart and what steps people can take to improve their heart health and protect against that stress.
Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore’s health commissioner.
What did this study find?
Leana Wen: The researchers analysed data from over 280,000 adults who had completed detailed surveys about the social and economic factors in their lives and underwent clinical evaluations of their cardiovascular health.
Instead of just looking at whether people developed heart disease, the team focused on a concept called “cardiovascular age,” which reflects how old a person’s heart and blood vessels look biologically compared with what one would expect for their actual age.
They found that people who reported higher levels of financial stress and food insecurity tended to have evidence of more advanced cardiovascular ageing, even after accounting for traditional medical risk factors.
In other words, two people of the same chronological age and with the same clinical risk profiles could have hearts that “aged” at different rates, depending on how much financial strain they were under.
While the study does not prove that financial stress directly causes accelerated heart ageing, it strongly suggests that the economic strain can affect not only mental well-being but also cardiovascular health.
Wen: When researchers measure heart ageing, this refers to structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular system that increase the risk of heart disease.
These include stiffening of blood vessels, changes in heart muscle function and impaired ability of the cardiovascular system to respond to exertion.
Chronic stress can accelerate these processes. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline affect blood pressure, heart rate, inflammation and metabolism.
When these systems are activated repeatedly over long periods, they can contribute to wear and tear on the heart and blood vessels.
Over time, that cumulative effect may resemble what we see with ageing or long-standing medical conditions.
Financial stress has some unique features that make it particularly potent. Unlike an acute stressor such as a short-term work deadline or a brief illness, financial strain is often chronic and ongoing.
It can involve persistent worries about bills, housing stability, medical expenses, debt or support of family members.
Because money affects so many aspects of daily life, financial stress can be difficult to escape. It may disrupt sleep, limit access to healthy food or medical care, and reduce opportunities for exercise or rest.
All these factors compound one another and can amplify cardiovascular risk over time.
Wen: To me, what’s most striking about this study is that the magnitude of the association between financial stress and heart ageing was similar to or even exceeded that of many clinical risk factors.
These traditional risk factors, like high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking, are well-recognised contributors to heart disease, and clinicians routinely screen for and treat them.
This research suggests that social determinants of health, including financial stress and food insecurity, may belong in the same conversation.
That does not mean financial stress replaces traditional risk factors, but rather that it adds to them. Someone with high blood pressure who is also under severe financial strain may face compounded risk.
Wen: No, and that is an important point. Financial stress increases risk, but it does not mean that people experiencing it are doomed to poor heart health.
Risk is influenced by many factors, and there are still meaningful actions individuals and clinicians can take to reduce harm.
Protect heart health
The fundamentals of heart health remain regular physical activity, a balanced and heart-healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
Routine checkups matter because many cardiovascular risk factors develop silently. Treating hypertension or diabetes early dramatically lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure.
And because chronic stress affects heart health as well, techniques such as mindfulness practices, adequate sleep and social connection can help buffer stress responses and contribute to better heart health.
This study reinforces that health is shaped not only by the health care that people receive but also by the social and economic conditions in their lives. Recognising financial stress and food instability as part of cardiovascular risk can allow for more compassionate and effective care.
