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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH STUDY SHOWS THAT HAPPY MARRIAGES MAY BE GOOD FOR YOUR METABOLIC HEALTH | |
| Contact: Wendy Troxel, M.S. Phone: 412-246-5969 Email: troxelw@msx.upmc.edu Embargoed until: March 4, 2004 |
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ORLANDO, FL-It has long been reported that married people, particularly married men, live longer and have better health than their unmarried counterparts. The results in women, however, have been less consistent. So, is just being married enough, or does the quality of the marriage matter? Results from the Healthy Women Study at the University of Pittsburgh suggest that happily married women have a healthier metabolic profile compared to unhappily married women or divorced or widowed women. Results of this research were presented at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting, held March 3-7 in Orlando, Fl. The metabolic syndrome, which consists of measures of blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and central adiposity (i.e., abdominal fat), has emerged as an important cluster of risk factors and predicts cardiovascular disease. The current study was designed to evaluate whether women in satisfying relationships were less likely to develop the metabolic syndrome, in comparison to women in dissatisfying relationships, divorced or widowed women, or single women. The current investigation involved 422 women from the Healthy Women Study, of which 215 reported being in a highly satisfying relationship, 106 reported a dissatisfying relationship, 69 were divorced, widowed, or separated, and 32 were single. The metabolic syndrome was measured at the baseline visit and 3-8 years later, when the women were post-menopausal. Results indicated that the satisfied group was less likely to develop the metabolic syndrome compared to the dissatisfied group or the divorced/ widowed/ separated group. Statistically, there was no difference between the satisfied group and the single women, perhaps due to the small sample of single women. These results suggest that marriage confers health benefits for women, but only if the marriage is a happy one. On the other hand, living in a troubled marriage and/ or living through the aftermath of divorce or widowhood may serve as an ongoing source of stress for women, leading to increased risk for cardiovascular disease. | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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