Divorce is hard on everyone, but a new study suggests it is particularly damaging to the heart health of women. According to Time magazine, researchers at Duke University have published a new study that reveals that women who divorce once are 24 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than women who remain married. That risk more than triples to 77 percent for women who have been divorced two or more times.
In contrast, men only experienced an increased risk of heart attack if they divorced two or more times when compared to men who remained married to the same spouse. If those men remarried, however, their risk of heart attack did not increase.
While other studies have looked at the correlation between divorce and heart disease, this 18-year study is the first of its kind to look at the long-term impact of divorce and remarriage on heart health. Matthew Dupre, one of the study’s lead researchers said, “We looked at lifetime exposure to not only current marital status, but how many times someone has been divorced in the past. What we found was that repeated exposure to divorce put men and women, but particularly women, at higher risk of having a heart attack compared to those who were married.”
Researchers hope doctors will use the study’s findings to better support and educate their patients who have recently divorced. By monitoring the heart health of divorced patients more closely they can take more assertive steps to treat divorced patients who develop cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar problems.
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