'This is an unavoidable stressor for African-American women. Because we can't change society, we need to focus on helping African-American women cope more effectively with these encounters. We really need to come up with some specific strategies in dealing with discrimination.'

The more discrimination African-American women report, the more likely they are to have coronary artery calcification -- a buildup of calcium in the vessels that is associated with atherosclerosis, the researchers said.

"We know from other studies in this area that stressful life experiences can have an effect on cardiovascular outcomes," said Ten