NOTE, original article title: Neuroticism, worry, and cardiometabolic risk trajectories: Findings from a 40‐year study of men

Given an uncertainty regarding the mechanisms involved in the correlation between anxiety and elevated risk of cardiometabolic disease onset, researchers herein investigated the prospective correlation of 2 anxiety facets, neuroticism and worry, with cardiometabolic risk (CMR) trajectories for 4 decades.

• From an ongoing adult male cohort, 1,561 men were included.

• In 1975, the Eysenck Personality Inventory‐Short Form neuroticism scale and a Worries Scale were completed by the healthy men (mean age, 53 years [SD, 8.4 years]).

• At every 3 to 5 years, assessment of seven CMR biomarkers was done.

• From age 33 to 65 years, there was an increase in CMR at 0.8 markers per decade, at which point men had an average of 3.8 high‐risk markers; this was followed by a slower increase of 0.5 markers per decade.

• Elevated CMR was recorded across time in correlation with higher neuroticism and worry levels; there were 13% and 10% greater risks, respectively, with having ≥ 6 high‐risk CMR markers, adjusting for potential confounders.

• Overall findings suggest association of higher anxiety levels with stable differences in CMR by middle adulthood, that are maintained into older ages.

• Deteriorations in cardiometabolic health may occur earlier in life among anxious individuals and a stable trajectory of heightened risk remains into older ages in these people.