Heart disease linked to unhappy marriage

When a couple decide to separate they often have many reasons for getting divorced, such as infidelity, loneliness and financial instability. Interestingly, a new study indicates that there could be another point of argument for many unhappy spouses - their health.

According to a new study, published on Monday (October 8th) in the Archives of Internal Medicine, an unhappy relationship can be detrimental to a person's physical well being.

The researchers have found that the stress caused by being in a bad marriage can contribute to heart disease. A study of 9,011 civil servants from the UK found that those with troubled personal relationships were 34 per cent more likely to develop heart disease than those with good relationships.

Roberto De Vogli, lead author of the study and a researcher with University College London, commented: "What we add here is that, 'OK, being married is in general good, but be careful about the kind of person you have married'. The quality of the relationship matters."

A study published in July in the online journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that women who do not voice their concerns about the problems in their relationships increase their chances of dying compared to those who do.

We want to know what you think