Being in love is good for your heart — literally.
“There is evidence that being in supportive, happy relationships is heart healthy,” Dr. Joy Gelbman, a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, told The Post.
“One theory is that being in a loving relationship can raise levels of oxytocin and lower stress hormones like cortisol, which can improve blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health,” she said.
Oxytocin, known as the “love hormone,” is released in the brain through physical contact such as hugging, kissing, sex, and snuggling up to your boo. It promotes bonding and feelings of trust while reducing stress, making it good for your heart.
One 2019 study suggests that oxytocin can suppress and even reverse the buildup of fat and cholesterol in the arteries, potentially decelerating the progression of coronary artery disease (CAD).
Oxytocin may also stimulate the regeneration of cardiomyocytes, the heart muscle cells, potentially making it capable of repairing heart tissue after an event such as a heart attack, according to a 2022 study.
This might help explain why, according to Gelbman, married people with heart disease are less likely to have a heart attack or die from cardiovascular disease.
“Not only that, married people live longer generally,” she added, dubbing the phenomenon the “marriage effect.”
A 2017 study found that unmarried people had a 45% higher rate of cardiovascular death compared to their married counterparts.
Researchers believe that, aside from the positive effects of companionship, having a spouse who reminds you to take your medication and follow healthy habits can explain the association.
That being said, when it comes to gender, not all is fair in love and war.
“While marriage is associated with lower heart disease risk for both men and women, the effect may be stronger in men,” Gelbman went on.
According to Harvard Health, married men are overall healthier than those who are single, divorced or widowed, and are in fact three times more likely to die from heart disease than married men.
A 2023 study from the American College of Cardiology found that men who never married are more than twice as likely to die from heart failure within five years of diagnosis compared to married men or women of any marital status.
Another study, published in 2009, found that the risk of dying from heart disease was highest in men who’ve never married and women who are separated or divorced.
Age also seems to play a factor in outcomes.
“It does seem that the marriage effect on cardiovascular disease may be age-related,” Gelbman said. “The effect seems to be strongest at younger ages, such as those under 50.
“That said, a study of married men in the UK found that men who reported improvement in the quality of a marriage over time also had improvements in cardiac risk factors such as cholesterol and body mass index (BMI), compared with those who reported being in consistently happy or unhappy marriages.”
But if you’re facing this Valentine’s Day alone, don’t fear.
“It is not just romantic love that improves heart health, but strong social networks of supportive friends and family can also have health benefits,” Gelbman reported.
“Even having a pet can improve heart health by keeping a person more active and more social, both of which impact the heart in a positive way.”
