Bad Marriages Not Good for the Heart at He's Fit

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Bad marriages not good for the heart

Posted October 9, 2007 at 02:00 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: In The News, His Health, Physical Health

smith A recent study from Monday’s Archives of International Medicine has linked relationship problems with increased heart disease. According to Divorcerate.org, the divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%, and for a second marriage - 60%. Those numbers are alarming. Now, take into consideration that cardiovascular disease (heart disease) is the number one cause of the death in the United States.

The study reported that marital stress and other bad personal relationships can raise your risk for heart disease. They propose that it all boils down to stress—a well-known contributor to health problems, as well as a byproduct of a bad relationship.

The study looked at over 9,000 British civil servants, most of them married. Those with the worse close relationships were 34% more likely to have heart disease or to suffer a heart attack or heart trouble during 12 years of follow-up. The relationships included partners, close relatives and friends.

This study differs from previous research on heart disease because it looked specifically at the quality of marriage and other important relationships. Dr. Roberto De Vogli, a researcher with the team at the University College in London, is doing a similar test to see if participants with bad relationships have any biological evidence of stress that could contribute to the heart disease. That includes inflammation and elevated levels of stress hormones.

So, be careful of the type of person you get involved with. The quality of that relationship could determine the condition of your heart.

Research sources and for more information:[Divorcerate.org]; [American Heart Association]; [Tanner, Lindsay. “Bad Marriages Hurt the Heart.” Associated Press. Express newspaper. October 9, 2007, page 1]; [picture]