Marriage is a dream come true for many women, but aside from the romantic implications of being with your loved one forever, it also has a positive effect on one’s heart--literally.
A preliminary study presented at the annual meeting of American Sociological Association showed the relationship of marriage and health, NBCNews.com reports. Princeton University researcher Michael McFarland and his team found that women in long and happy marriages have lower risks of developing cardiovascular conditions. This was based on data from the National Social Health and Aging Project, which included the marital and health histories of 528 women and 534 men between the ages of 57 to 75.
The study revealed that for every ten years of undisrupted happy marriage, cardiovascular risks dropped to 13 percent in women. Contented wives also had a 40 percent lower metabolic risk count as compared to women who have been separated, divorced, or widowed. On the other hand, marriage did not seem to have any interesting positive health effects in men. In fact, marrying at a very young age (say at around 17 to 20 years old) increased the risk of developing chronic inflammation, which may cause heart conditions, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s disease. These could be attributed to problems of marrying young, as well as to a lower educational attainment.
If you have already tied the knot, make a promise to do your best to make your life-long commitment successful--not just for your personal well-being, but for your husband’s contentment as well. Need guidance? Click here to read an article on maintaining a happy marriage.
(Photo by Shezita via sxc.hu)
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