Post Date December, 03 2023
Many studies have shown that a happy marriage is beneficial to health. Israeli researchers have found that single men or men with unhappy marriages have more than 60% higher risk of stroke than men with harmonious families. A happy marriage may reduce the risk of stroke in men.
Large impact
The subjects of this study were 10059 Israelis. These people participated in the study of ischemic heart disease in Israel in 1963. At that time, the average age was 49 years old. Most of them were civil servants or parliamentary staff.
Two years later, these subjects made another questionnaire on marital status. Married men need to evaluate their marital status.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University compared and analyzed the men who died of stroke among the research subjects up to 1997 and the questionnaires they completed in 1965, and comprehensively considered the individual differences of the research subjects such as social status, economic status and other factors that may cause stroke, such as obesity, blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and heart disease.
The Daily Telegraph of the UK reported on the 26th, quoting research director Dr. Uri Goodbert, that the analysis results showed that men who were dissatisfied with their marriage were 64% more likely to suffer from fatal stroke than those who thought their marriage was successful. In addition, the risk of fatal stroke of single men or divorced men living alone is 64% higher than that of married men.
The impact of marriage on health surprised researchers. "I didn't expect the impact of failed marriage to be so significant in the data," Goodbert said
Limited
Goodbert admits that his research has certain limitations. He said: "We lack the data of non-fatal stroke patients and the medical records of the subjects in the first five years (1963 to 1968)."
Goodbert also said that the research results reflected the life of Israelis for nearly half a century, but "it is difficult to infer whether the relationship between marital status and stroke is applicable to people in other countries and regions".
Goodbert's study did not examine whether a failed marriage would increase a woman's risk of stroke. He said that the influence of women's status and marital happiness on women's health may be similar to that of men, but there must be differences. Therefore, "it is necessary to carry out similar research on women".
Mel Merit, a staff member of a public relations charity, said that the results of the Israeli study were not surprising. "Maintaining a happy relationship with others is good for everyone, helps improve work efficiency and promote health".
Prevention required
No few people die of stroke every year in the world. Dr. Peter Coleman, deputy director of the research department of the British Stroke Society, said: "About 50000 men in the UK have their first stroke every year. One third of stroke patients may die, one third recover within one month, and the other third have serious sequelae."
Coleman said that in addition to marital status, there are many factors that can reduce the risk of stroke.
"Regardless of your marital status, you should adopt a healthy lifestyle," he said. "Regular exercise, eating low-salt and low-fat foods and regular blood pressure measurement can greatly reduce the risk of stroke."
