Troubled Marriage Boosts Women's Heart Risk

A bad marriage increases an older adult's risk of heart trouble, and that's particularly true for women, a new study contends.

Researchers examined five years of data from 1,200 married American men and women, aged 57 to 85. People with spouses who were overly critical or demanding were more likely to develop heart disease than those with supportive mates, the researchers from Michigan State University said.

They also found that a bad marriage's harmful impact on heart health increased with age. This may be because marriage-related stress might stimulate more -- and more intense -- cardiovascular responses due to declines in immune function and increasing frailty as people age, the researchers speculated.

Women were more likely suffer poor heart health due to a bad marriage. One possible explanation: Women tend to internalize negative feelings, making them more likely to develop depression and heart problems, according to lead investigator Hui Liu, an associate professor of sociology.

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