A new study based on data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) shows that positive personality traits, such as optimism, actually may help to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Results were published in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

In addition to obesity, a family history of diabetes, race/ethnicity, and physical inactivity, depression and cynicism also are associated with an increased risk of diabetes. In addition, high levels of hostility have been associated with high fasting glucose levels, insulin resistance, and prevalent diabetes. Few studies, however, have investigated the association of potentially protective personality characteristics with diabetes risk.

The objective of this study was to examine whether personality traits, including optimism, negativity, and hostility, were associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women. The study went on to explore whether the association could be mediated by behavioral pathways, such as diet, physical activity, smoking, or high alcohol consumption.

The study followed 139,924 postmenopausal women from the WHI who were without diabetes at baseline. During 14 years of follow-up, 19,240 cases of type 2 diabetes were identified. Compared with women in the lowest quartile for negative emotional expressiveness or hostility, women in the highest quartile had a 9% and 17% higher risk of diabetes, respectively. The association of hostility with the risk of diabetes was stronger in women who were not obese compared with women who were.

As a result of these outcomes, the study concluded that low optimism, high negativity, and hostility were associated with increased risk of incident diabetes in postmenopausal women, independent of major health behaviors and depressive symptoms. Study results appear in the article, Personality traits and diabetes incidence among postmenopausal women.

Read More