Psychophysiologic factors in atherogenesis and coronary artery disease.

Studies conducted on animals indicate that biobehavioral variables and diet can interact to facilitate atherogenesis. An unstable or threatening environment and stable behavioral predispositions of the individual appear to be interactive variables that may be useful for understanding behavioral contributions to atherogenesis. The interaction of threat with stable behavioral predispositions is echoed in psychophysiologic experiments relating human behavior to physiochemical reactivity. These stable behavioral predispositions in humans include hostility and aspects of the type A behavior pattern. Possible interactions among genetic predisposition, reactivity, and atherogenesis are also discussed.