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In the U.S., black women experience first myocardial infarctions at earlier ages and have higher age-adjusted cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (independent of socioeconomic status) than do women of other racial and ethnic origins. Attempts to explain these differences have focused on health behaviors and healthcare access. Now, using data from the Black Women's Health Study — an ongoing prospective questionnaire-based cohort study — researchers investigated whether perceived racial discrimination (a possible trigger for stress-hormone–mediated vascular changes) contributes to higher mortality among black women. In 1997, 49,000 participants (mean age, 40.5) without CVD or cancer histories answered questions about “institutionalized” ra…