Married folks have fewer heart problems, Study show

A study of more than 3.5 million Americans finds that married people are less likely than singles, divorced or widowed folks to suffer any type of heart or blood vessel problem.

That was true at any age, for women as well as for men, and regardless of other heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol or diabetes.

Lead researcher Carlos L. Alviar from the New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City and team assessed participants for different problems like peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease.

Of the total, 69.1% of participants were married, 13.5% were widowed, 9% were divorced and 8.3% were single. After adjusting factors like age, sex, race and risk factors, marital status was found to be independently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

In comparison to single participants, married subjects had lower odds of any vascular disease (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; P < 0.0001), widowed (OR, 1.03) and divorced (OR, 1.05) subjects were found to have the higher odds. The findings were applicable on men and women.

The reduced odds of CVD in married people were more in younger ages. Widowed people were found to have the maximum rate of high blood pressure, diabetes and inconsistent exercise.

“Married people can look after each other, making sure their spouse eats healthy, exercises regularly, and takes medication as prescribed”, said co-author of the study. A spouse also keeps a check on doctors’ appointments and provides transportation making access to health care service easier.

Agencies/Canadajournal