Marriage & Heart Health

There is one thing many of us do that we probably don't even realize keeps our hearts healthy.

Everyone needs to thank their spouse sometime, because it turns out that one of the best things you can do for your heart is to be married.

Heart disease is still the number one leading cause of death here in the U.S. This goes for both men and women. But a new study, just published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that both married men and women have a lower risk of having either a fatal or non-fatal heart attack. The researchers involved in this study found men and women were actually twice as likely to die after a heart attack if they were unmarried. They also had the highest rates of heart attacks to begin with.

Other earlier studies also found that unmarried people and those living alone had a bigger risk of heart problems and ended up dying more because of this. And although the researchers involved in this study can't pinpoint what exactly keeps married couples from having as many heart attacks, they think a couple of factors come into play. Married people tend to have better health habits, including going to the doctor for needed screening tests before something bad like a heart attack happens. And they also get earlier help if something like a heart attack does come on, increasing their chances of surviving the event.

So again, sometime soon turn to your spouse or your significant other and thank them for all they do, including helping keep you healthy.