Financial Stress May Be as Bad for Your Heart as High Blood Pressure and Smoking

Financial stress may damage your heart as much as well-known risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking, according to a recent study.

People who face chronic financial strain often experience anxiety, loneliness, or depression, and this type of stress can accelerate cardiac aging and put their heart health at risk.

How Financial Stress Affects Heart Health

The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, analyzed data from 280,323 adults.

Researchers found that many social determinants of health—nonmedical factors that shape daily life—play a significant role in heart health.

Financial stress and food insecurity were the two factors most strongly linked to accelerated cardiac aging.

Cardiac age estimates how “old” your heart is compared to your chronological age, or the number of years you’ve been alive. When your heart’s age exceeds your actual age, your risk of heart attack and stroke may increase.

“Physicians focus on traditional risk factors, like cholesterol, smoking, blood pressure, and sleep, and don’t ask the individual about social determinants or environmental factors that may affect their general and cardiac health,” Amir Lerman, MD, senior author of the study and the director of the cardiovascular research center at Mayo Clinic, told Verywell.

The findings suggest clinicians should screen for financial stress and other social determinants of health as part of routine heart risk assessments, Lerman added.

Why Financial Stress Takes a Toll on the Body

The observational study was not designed to explain why social determinants of health, such as financial stress, were linked to heart problems. However, chronically high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, are known to raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

“Financial stress is uniquely potent because it is chronic, repetitive, and often inescapable,” John P. Higgins, MD, MBA, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, told Verywell in an email.

The findings show that ongoing financial strain is more than an emotional burden; it can cause "measurable wear and tear on the cardiovascular system," Higgins added.

The Link Between Stress and Inflammation

One possible explanation is that financial stress causes chronic, systemic inflammation, which contributes to plaque buildup. Other research has linked stress to atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in arteries that can cause a heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular events.

Inflammation is not always harmful. The body relies on a short-term inflammatory response to fight infections and respond to injuries. However, chronic systemic inflammation may damage cardiovascular health, Lerman said.

Over time, ongoing inflammation can raise blood pressure and may make it harder for the heart to pump blood. Smoking, high blood pressure, and LDL (bad) cholesterol also fuel inflammation.

The researchers said they hope the findings will help policymakers create preventative strategies and alert healthcare providers to the importance of screening for non-traditional risk factors.

"These findings strengthen the case for prevention that is both medical and social: optimize blood pressure, lipids, diabetes, sleep, and physical activity, while also screening for and addressing social determinants in a structured way. That combination is how we translate this research into longer, healthier lives," Higgins said.