If smoking, eating junk food, and drinking don't get you, then being a "Defensive Hostile" (DH) probably will. Why? Because DHs are a personality group which may run a high risk for developing coronary artery disease (CAD), says Karin Helmers, former nurse, and now professor in York's department of Kinesiology and Health Science.

    CAD is one of the leading causes of death in Western societies, she says. "Despite extensive research, the standard risk factors for developing or aggravating heart disease -- smoking, hypertension, and high cholesterol intake -- aren't able to predict new cases of CAD," Helmers says.

    Helmers is investigating the association between DH personality types (healthy males and females whose average age is 25) and CAD by psychologically and physically stressing subjects then measuring their cardiovascular response. DHs are part of a psychological sub-group which includes "low hostiles," "high hostiles" and "defensives."

    "Defensiveness seems to be a possible clue to the puzzle," says Helmers. "And combined with hostility, the two together seem to be special."

    Helmers wants to examine whether DH men and women report poorer health habits (e.g., more dietary fat or cholesterol intake) compared to other men and women; whether DHs undergo more cardiovascular stress during daily life routines and in the lab than others do; and whether DHs, compared to other subjects, experience more frequent anger episodes during daily life.

    "The suppression of anger isn't studied much in coronary disease, but I suspect it may be an important piece of the puzzle," says Helmers.