Yahoo Lifestyle What divorce does to a woman’s heart
Divorced women are at a higher risk of heart attack, a new study has found. Photo: Thinkstock
The heartache that comes with a divorce can do more than damage your emotional health, new research has found.
According to one new study, the psychological stress of a marriage ending can have serious physiological effects on the heart, especially in women. The research, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, women who were divorced were 24 per cent more likely to have a heart attack than those who remained married, and those who divorced more than twice, saw their risk jump to 77 per cent.
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Surprisingly, divorced men weren’t at the same level of risk. The risk of heart attack in men only increased when they divorced two or more times, compared to those who remained married. When men remarried, their heart attack risk stayed the same, while women’s chances stayed slightly higher, at 35 per cent.
The figures didn’t change even after researchers made adjustments for other potential contributing factors including age, social status, changes in occupation, BMI and hypertension. This particular study tracked participants over 18 years to capture the cumulative effects of changes in marital status: repeated divorce put both men and women at higher risk of having a heart attack.
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However, what researchers didn’t factor was the other stress than comes with divorce; such as changes in financial stability and social circumstances, which can lead to a spike in stress hormones and cause a jump in blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
Bottom line: the findings of this study show that major life events do have an effect on the physical function of your body, but that doesn’t mean women should avoid divorce if it’s the right choice. Recognising that divorce may be a trigger means talking to your doctor about potential stressors and being alert to the first indication of potential problems such as high cortisol levels, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
