People who are married are five per cent less likely to have disease arteries than those who are not married
Marriage really is good for the heart - especially if you are young, scientists say.
A study of more than 3.5 million people found those who were married were five per cent less likely to have one of the four main diseases affecting the arteries.
In particular, their risk of developing peripheral arterial disease - which affects blood supply to the legs – was 19 per cent lower.
They were also nine per cent less likely to get cerebrovascular disease – that which disrupts blood flow to the brain, causing a stroke.
And, they were eight per cent less likely to get an abdominal aortic aneurysm – which can cause the body's main blood vessel ruptures.
After adjusting for age, sex, race and other cardiovascular risk factors, marital status was found to be independently associated with cardiovascular disease.
The findings were consistent for both men and women across all four illnesses, and were particularly pronounced among the under 50s.
Cardiologist Dr Carlos Alviar said: ‘The association between marriage and a lower likelihood of vascular disease is stronger among younger subjects, which we did not anticipate.’
For people aged 50 and younger, marriage is associated with 12 per cent lower risk of any vascular disease.
This number drops to seven per cent for those between 51 and 60 and just four per cent for those aged 61 and older.
Dr Jeffrey Berger, a US cardiologist, said the link might be because spouses are more likely to look out for each other.
'It might be that if someone is married, they have a spouse who encourages them to take better care of themselves,' he said.
The odds of coronary artery disease, the most common heart condition caused by a build-up of plaque, was also lower in married people compared with those who are single, divorced or widowed, but this was not statistically significant.
On the other hand, being divorced or widowed was associated with a greater likelihood of vascular disease compared with being single or married.
Widowers had a three per cent greater risk of any of the four conditions and were in seven per cent more danger of coronary artery disease.
Divorce was also linked with a higher likelihood of any vascular disease.
Married people are 19 per cent less likely to have peripheral arterial disease - affects blood flow to the legs
The research adds to evidence linking marriage with a range of health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, better cancer survival rates and even, for men, stronger bones.
The relationship between walking down the aisle and lessening the danger of clogged arteries that lead to heart attacks and stroke is especially pronounced before the age of 50, an American College of Cardiology meeting in Washington heard.
Dr Alviar said: ‘These findings certainly should not drive people to get married, but it is important to know decisions regarding who one is with, why, and why not may have important implications for vascular health.’
While earlier, smaller, studies have reported similar findings, the scale of this research along with the analysis of four different diseases and various types of marital status makes it different from anything that has been done before.
Previous research has shown that married people have better cancer survival rates and stronger bones
Dr Alviar, of New York University, said: ‘We are able to take a better look at a spectrum of relationships.’
The researchers analysed records from a database of participants across the U.S. who were aged from 21 to 102 and had been evaluated for cardiovascular diseases in a nationwide screening programme.
Demographic information and risk factors for illness, such as high blood pressure and whether they smoked, were obtained along with their marital status.
Their average age was 64 and 63 per cent were women.
Overall, 69.1 per cent (2.4 million) were married, 13 per cent (477,577) widowed, 8.3 per cent (292,670) single and nine per cent (319,321) divorced.
Dr Alviar added: ‘Of course, it is true not all marriages are created equal, but we would expect the size of this study population to account for variations in good and bad marriages.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2591678/No-aisle-ments-Getting-married-good-heart-say-scientists.html#ixzz2xHgpPdxO
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