J Hum Hypertens. 2026 Jun 2. doi: 10.1038/s41371-026-01170-5. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Acute psychological stress may contribute to cardiovascular disease risk through transient vascular dysfunction. In a randomized crossover study of healthy young adults, the Trier Social Stress Task increased brachial-femoral pulse wave velocity compared with a neutral time- and speech-matched control condition. Using an experimental design and statistical approach that addressed limitations identified in prior studies, these findings support meta-analytic evidence and suggest that transient arterial stiffening may represent a mechanism linking repeated stress exposure to long-term cardiovascular risk.
PMID:42230806 | DOI:10.1038/s41371-026-01170-5