Risk of dying from heart disease, stroke reduced by marriage, study finds, and effect can be significant
People who were divorced, widowed or single were 42 per cent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who were married, the study of 2 million people found
Even if marriage is sometimes more a bed of nails than roses, growing old with a partner may help ward off heart disease and stroke, researchers have found.
A far-reaching survey of research conducted over the last two decades covering more than two million people aged 42 to 77 found that being wed significantly reduced the risk of both afflictions.
The study, reported in the medical journal Heart, examined ethnically varied populations in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, adding weight to the results.
Compared to people who were married, the divorced, widowed or never wed were 42 per cent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and 16 per cent more likely to have coronary heart disease, the study found.
The risk of dying was likewise higher for the non-married, by 42 per cent from coronary heart disease and by 55 per cent from stroke.
The results were nearly the same for both genders, except for stroke, to which men were more susceptible.