Stress Kills Quietly: The Kremlin Cardiologist Who Believed the Heart Is Harmed Less by Hardship Than by How We React to It

Heart disease is the world's number one killer, and one of its most underestimated drivers doesn't come from a plate or a cigarette. It comes from inside our heads. Many experts consider chronic stress one of the greatest dangers of modern society. One of Russia's best-known cardiologists, Yevgeny Chazov, held the same view. In Soviet times he was the chief physician of the Kremlin and cared for the country's top leaders. The idea most often attributed to him is that stress damages the heart more than poverty or hardship ever could. So it's worth asking how we can protect ourselves cheaply, naturally and gently.

A Wake-Up Call from One of the World's Busiest Women

In April 2007, Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, collapsed at her desk from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. She hit her head, broke her cheekbone and woke up in a pool of blood. She then went through a series of medical tests, including heart checks, to find out what was wrong. Doctors found no disease. Her body had simply been pushed past its limit by relentless pressure and too little rest. Huffington has described that moment as the turning point that changed how she lived. She began guarding her sleep, slowing down and setting boundaries, and later founded Thrive Global, a company devoted to stress and burnout. Her story is a vivid reminder that stress isn't "just in your head." It leaves marks on the body.

Who Was Yevgeny Chazov?

Yevgeny Ivanovich Chazov was born on June 10, 1929, and died on November 12, 2021. He specialized in cardiovascular diseases and also served as the Soviet Union's Minister of Health from 1987 to 1990. He co-founded the organization International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) with the American cardiologist Bernard Lown. IPPNW received the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Chazov enjoyed great prestige in his time, and many of his words are still reinterpreted by journalists today, often without precise sources. He was once accused of exaggerating, but today it is clear that he was right about a great deal. Social conditions and psychological stress really do affect the cardiovascular system.

Even if not every statement attributed to him can be traced to a source, his message is worth taking as a warning: stress and inner restlessness are not a trivial problem.

Stress as a Risk Factor

In his professional writing on cardiovascular disease, Chazov argued that social conditions, psychological pressure and emotional state play an important role in the development of heart disease, even though they are hard to measure. Modern studies support this idea. Chronic stress, meaning stress that lasts a long time rather than for a moment, is associated with higher levels of the hormone cortisol and increased inflammation in the body, and may contribute to the narrowing of arteries.

One of the most striking studies on this topic was published in The Lancet in 2017 (Tawakol et al.). Researchers found that people with higher activity in the amygdala, the brain's "alarm center" for fear and stress, had more inflammation in their arteries. Over the following years they were also more likely to experience cardiovascular events. In other words, scientists could trace a path from the stressed brain to the blood vessels.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death worldwide for years. The large international INTERHEART study, which compared more than 11,000 heart attack patients with over 13,000 healthy people from 52 countries, found that people reporting permanent stress at work or at home were noticeably more likely to have had a heart attack. A major analysis of European workers published in The Lancet (Kivimäki et al., 2012) linked high job strain to a modestly higher risk of coronary heart disease. Research also connects intense psychological stress, whether at work or in relationships, with higher blood pressure, poorer blood vessel function and more inflammation. Science supports the idea that stress is not only in our minds. It leaves traces in the body that can contribute to serious illness.

Chazov said that the human body evolved slowly over thousands of years, but today we live at a very fast pace, and the mismatch between our bodies and that pace leads to damage. He argued that poverty and hardship are not in themselves our greatest enemy. The real problem is our relationship to them: how we accept difficulty and how we react inside.

Heart problems are also increasingly being reported in younger people, with some patients still in their twenties or thirties. That is a sobering warning.

Chazov advised avoiding overeating, keeping stress in check, and not letting life become a race for money. Food and stress are closely connected. What we eat can quietly add to our stress load, as explained in our article 7 Everyday Foods That Quietly Feed Your Stress (Number 5 Might Surprise You). Stress can also make us reach for comfort food at the worst possible moments, which we covered in The Three Moments Each Day When Your Willpower Is Weakest — and Your Cravings Are Strongest.

These reflections are powerful, and it would be wrong to call them untrue. But let's ask a practical question: what can we do at home, without medication, to ease stress and protect the heart?

Six Simple Ways to Calm Your Mind and Support Your Heart

• Breathing exercises and meditation
  
  This is one of the most accessible tools. You can do it anywhere, with no equipment.
  
  
  A simple exercise: for three minutes, breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, then breathe out slowly through your mouth for 6 seconds.
  
  
  Slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of the nervous system that calms us, relaxes the muscles and can help lower blood pressure. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association (2017) concluded that meditation may be a reasonable addition to heart-healthy habits, while noting that more research is needed. Studies also suggest that regular meditation, yoga and relaxation techniques can help reduce stress hormones in many people.



• Herbs and teas
  
  Traditional knowledge offers a few natural helpers. Scientific evidence for them is still limited, but many people find them soothing:
  
  
  
  • Lavender: traditionally used to calm the nerves and relax. Many people enjoy it as a tea or as a scent.
  
  
  • Lemon balm (melissa): a mild, traditionally used calming herb, often found in folk herbal blends.
  
  
  • Valerian and passionflower: common in folk practice as gentle relaxants, especially in the evening.
  
  
  
  Note: if you are already taking any medication, for example for blood pressure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist first, because some herbs can interact with medicines. Also keep an eye on stimulants. Even your daily coffee can temporarily raise stress hormones, as explained in Coffee in the Heat: Why Hot Weather Changes the Rules for Your Daily Cup.



• Movement, walking, nature
  
  Health organizations such as the American Heart Association recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, which works out to about 30 minutes a day on most days. A walk in the forest or in a park counts. Movement releases endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones, eases tension and supports circulation. Research has repeatedly found that people who are regularly physically active tend to have fewer heart problems and a lower risk of premature death.



• Good sleep and rest
  
  When we are not rested, stress turns into harm more quickly. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep every night. Switch off electronics before bed and calm your mind with a book or quiet music. An analysis of 15 studies published in the European Heart Journal (Cappuccio et al., 2011) linked regularly short sleep with a higher risk of coronary heart disease. Poor or insufficient sleep has also been associated with higher blood pressure and inflammation. Lack of sleep affects our waistline too, as explained in When you sleep too little, your belly grows.



• Planning your day and limiting tension
  
  Divide your day into time for work and time for rest. When a day is too fragmented, stress grows. Learn to say "no." If you take on too many responsibilities, you can quickly cross your limit. Find hobbies that switch off your mind: drawing, listening to music, gardening, singing. Be careful with the weekend "crash," too. A sudden drop in pressure after a hectic week can show up as a headache, as described in The Weekend Headache Nobody Warns You About.



• Support and conversation
  
  Humans are social beings. If you carry pressure alone, it builds up. Share your worries, pray if that is part of your life (yes, this was advice from a Russian physician!), or talk to someone you trust. A small change can have a big effect.
  
  
  Apps and online counseling are also available today, but personal contact is often the best option.

Why Do These Methods Make Sense?

In his professional writing, Chazov warned that psycho-emotional factors such as emotions, stress and anxiety, combined with other factors like high blood pressure and an unfavorable cholesterol profile, contribute to heart disease. Studies also suggest that meditation, breathing exercises and yoga may help lower stress hormone levels, reduce markers of inflammation and modestly lower blood pressure in people at risk.

Physical activity as a way to protect the heart has a long history. Large population studies have found that moderate activity of about 150 minutes a week is associated with a meaningfully lower risk of heart disease, often estimated at around 20 to 30 percent.

Modern research links lack of sleep to higher blood pressure, weight gain and metabolic problems. All of these are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Your plate matters as well. A diet rich in vegetables, legumes, whole grains and healthy fats supports the heart, as our articles Plant Proteins for a Longer Life and Olive oil on an empty stomach: healthy habit or myth? explain. On the other hand, heavy, fried "comfort food," which we tend to crave when stressed, is a poor partner for the heart. Read more in Fried chicken for dinner? Scientists observed 107,000 women for 24 years and discovered what fried food really does to your heart.

Although there is a solid scientific basis for the effect of stress on the heart, there is no universal formula, and stress is certainly not "to blame" for every heart condition. Heart health depends on many factors, including genetics, diet, smoking, blood pressure and cholesterol. However, stress is increasingly recognized as an important piece of the puzzle.

Warnings and Hope

Stress is certainly one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. It is a quiet enemy that works slowly, wears us down, disturbs our balance and creeps into the body. If we gave our inner peace as much attention as we give television, news or food, we would achieve a great deal. If we take 5 minutes every day to calm down, go for a short walk every day, and share at least some of our troubles with others, we build a barrier against stress over time.

Life is not just a race for money. The body is not a machine that can withstand everything. Caring for your heart is not only the doctors' job. It is our job too!