RESEARCH - Marital discord hurts women's physical health more than men's

March 7, 2009

Bad Marriages Take Health Toll on Women

Study Shows Marital Discord Hurts Women's Physical Health More Than Men's

By Bill Hendrick

WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDMarch 4, 2009 -- Women in

tense, strained marriages are more likely than men to suffer from

mental problems like depression, but also dangerous physiological

conditions, such as high blood pressure and obesity, a new study

shows.

Strained marriages also cause depression in men, says study researcher

Henry of the University of Utah.

But she says that men in such relationships, unlike women, aren't at

increased risk of developing the physiological conditions of metabolic

syndrome. Aside from having excess belly fat and elevated blood

pressure, other characteristics of metabolic syndrome include elevated

triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, and low levels of HDL " good "

cholesterol.

If you have at least three of the five characteristics, you qualify as

having metabolic syndrome, which is known to increase risk of heart

disease, stroke, and diabetes.

**********************************

Read the full article here:

on-women

Not an MD

Recommended Posts