If you’re looking forward to your upcoming nuptials, good news, you can add one more super delightful thing to the many health benefits of marriage — married patients with heart disease have better survival rates than their single counterparts, and that’s way better news than the time you found out about using a wedding dais could save you major wedding dollars.
The study, published by the European Society of Cardiology, found that “Marriage is a vital factor in affecting the survival of patients who have had a heart attack, as well as the survival of patients with the most important risk factors.” Of the 25,287 patients studied who had a previous heart attack, married patients were 14 percent more likely than single patients to survive after the event. Being good for the heart is possibly the most romantic health benefit of marriage we’ve seen yet.
“Married people may fare better with heart disease and their health in general because they likely eat better, maintain healthier lifestyles, and generally on average, do not practice risky behaviors compared to single people,” explains Dr. Mia Finkelston, a board certified family physician who treats patients virtually via telehealth app, LiveHealth Online. “Overall, they also tend to take their health more seriously, keep doctor appointments and follow the advice of their doctor’s more than singles.”
It’s not just about showing up to appointments and eating vegetables, though, because there seems to be a laundry list of positive health benefits of marriage that are all heart-related.
“Studies have suggested that married people tend to live longer, have fewer strokes and heart attacks (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease) and a lower chance of depression. Those who are married also have a higher rate than single people of successfully surviving a major operation, surviving a cancer diagnosis for a longer period of time and having a less aggressive stage of cancer when it is first detected.”
It’s time to celebrate all this good news with a wedding, don’t you think?