He reports in his book Controlling Cholesterol that there is a close association between stress and cholesterol values. For instance, female Norwegian medical students were studied during their most important pre-clinical test. But even following graduation, other situations cause fluctuations in cholesterol values. Chartered accountants face a heavy work load and deadlines as the tax season approaches. Studies show that it's also the time of year their cholesterol values increase, then they subside once this season is over.
Cooper reports an interesting experiment involving demolition training.
This is a task for those with nerves of steel. Particularly when the task is underwater demolition. The U.S. navy recruited 52 young men for its program. Twenty-seven who passed the course had stable cholesterol levels throughout the entire training. But the 24 who failed to become demolition experts had significant increases in blood cholesterol during the final two weeks of the program.