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	Early Sex Abuse Increases Heart Risks? Wide Trends November 14, 2011 http://widetrends.com/early-sex-abuse-increases-heart-risks/ Early sex abuse increases heart risks? – A new study suggests that early childhood sexual abuse could increase to a 62-percent risk of heart problems later in life compared with women who were not abused, U.S. researchers said on Sunday. The study found that much of the effect was related to higher rates of this disease and this condition, as well as, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, heart attacks and strokes. The findings, presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, Florida, underscored the lasting physical effects of early sexual abuse. Much of the increased risk was related to coping strategies among abuse survivors such as overeating, alcohol use and smoking. Janet Rich-Edwards of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who led the study, said in a statement that, “The single biggest factor explaining the link between severe child abuse and adult cardiovascular disease was the tendency of abused girls to have gained more weight throughout adolescence and into adulthood.” The team analyzed data from a study of more than 67,000 nurses. Nine percent of these women had reported severe physical abuse and 11 percent reported being raped in their childhood or adolescence. The team found that repeated episodes of forced sex in childhood or adolescence translated into a 62 percent higher risk of heart attacks and strokes later in life. Physical abuse also took a toll. Women who had been beaten in their youth had a 45 percent higher risk of heart trouble. There was no increased heart risk in women who reported mild to moderate physical or sexual abuse. Much of the effect was related to higher rates of obesity, smoking, alcohol use, high blood pressure and diabetes, which accounted for 41 percent of the increased risk of heart problems among women who had been physically abused and 37 percent of the association with sexual abuse, the team said. The findings suggest severe physical and sexual abuse are significant risk factors for future heart disease, and women and their doctors need to take steps to reduce this risk. “We need to learn more about specific psychological, lifestyle, and medical interventions to improve the health of abuse survivors.” Rich-Edwards said in a statement.
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