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Bride
and groom cake decorations on a wedding cake (Rui Vieira/PA)
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Marriage is good for
heart health, a new study suggests.
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A
doctor checking a patient's blood pressure (Anthony Devlin/PA)
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Experts
have found that people living with any of the three biggest risk factors for
heart disease have higher survival rates if they are married.
The
study, which is to be presented to the British Cardiovascular Society
conference in Manchester, examined data on more than 900,000 patients with high
blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes which was obtained from
hospitals in northern England between January 2000 and March 2013.
Researchers
based at Aston Medical School in Birmingham studied the survival of these
patients and compared it to their marital status.
They
found that people with high cholesterol were 16% more likely to be alive at the
end of the study if they were married compared to those who were single.
Meanwhile,
married people with diabetes had a 14% higher chance of survival compared to
those who were single.
And
married patients with high blood pressure were 10% more likely to be alive at
the end of the study period compared to singletons.
“Our research suggests that marriage offers a
protective effect, which is probably down to having support in controlling the
key risk factors for heart disease,” said Dr Paul Carter, lead study author
based at the Algorithm for Comorbidities, Associations, Length of stay and
Mortality (ACALM) study unit.
“The
findings shouldn’t be seen as a reason to get married, but rather as
encouragement for people to build strong support networks with their families
and friends.”
Dr
Rahul Potluri, senior author and founder of the ACALM study unit, added: “Some
of our earlier studies have shown that people who suffer a heart attack will
have higher survival rates if they are married. This new study has helped to
unpick some of the underlying factors behind this.”
Commenting
on the study, Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director of the British Heart
Foundation, said: “The relationships we develop are not only important for our
well-being and living a fulfilling life, but it seems marriage is associated
with a longer life too.
“The
take-home message is that our social interactions, as well as medical risk
factors such as high blood pressure, are important determinants of both our
health and well-being.
“Whether you are married or not, if you have any of the main risk factors for heart disease then you can call upon loved ones to help you to manage them. You can also speak to your GP or the BHF’s Heart Helpline for advice and support.”
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