Heart-healthy Women
Facts of Life
In a 13-year study of middle-aged women, researches at San Diego State University and the University of Pittsburgh found that wives in highly satisfying marriages have fewer risk factors for cardiovascular disease than their less-satisfied or unmarried counterparts. Women in very satisfying marriages, when compared with the unattached or unsatisfied, had lower levels of cardiovascular risk factors by both biological and psychological measures. They even showed health advantages in comparison to those in moderately satisfying marriages, though to a lesser degree.
Source: Health Psychology, Sept. 2003 Register illustration by Tim Rauch
