Frequent Social Action Among Men Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease
Love conquers all – even heart attacks
A couple of months ago (Daily Dose, 3/19), I wrote about a
Swedish study which proved that frequent social interaction
among men – friendships, golf outings, poker nights, etc. -
correlated into a more than 50% reduction in heart disease
among test subjects. (That’s a far greater reduction in risk
than any prescription drug I know of can truthfully boast,
by the way.)
And in yet another twist on this theme, another new European
study, this one from the U.K. (seems like all the good
research nowadays comes from progressive-minded Europe,
doesn’t it?), shows that having loving, close relationships -
with spouses, relatives or close friends – helped to
measurably lower heart attack victims’ risk of suffering a
second cardiovascular event
And they say there’s no cure for a “broken” heart!
According to the HealthDay online piece, heart attack
survivors without some type of intimate relationship to lean
on for emotional support or social interaction were TWICE AS
LIKELY to suffer major heart problems within one calendar
year of their initial cardiac event.
Highlighting more than 1,000 heart attack patients, the
article did not specify the sex of the study’s subjects. If
this study had been specifically structured to measure the
phenomenon in one sex more than the other, I have to think
the article’s author would have mentioned it. After all, the
piece DID mention the study’s other controlled factors:
Smoking, blood pressure, and cholesterol. (Of these three,
only blood pressure elevation may be relevant.)
Regardless whether it’s equally applicable to both sexes or
not, this is the second study I’ve run across in recent
months supporting the notion that close relationships of one
type or another can cut the risk of heart trouble in half.
But as significant as these two study’s findings are
individually, they’re even more significant when you
consider them TOGETHER. Keep reading
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The mathematics of prevention
Though I’ll be the first to admit (before any of my readers
write in to point it out) that what I’m about to suggest is
far from a scientific analysis, it seems obvious to me from
reviewing both the Swedish research from a few months back
and the U.K. study above that having close relationships
doesn’t merely halve your likelihood of a second heart
attack – it actually may slash your risk by 75%!
Here’s what I mean: According to the Swedish study, you’re
HALF as likely to develop heart disease (which causes first
heart attacks, right?) if you’ve got a tight network of
loving social interaction. And since the U.K. research
determined that you’re HALF as likely to suffer a SECOND
coronary event if you’re involved in close, loving
relationships
It stands to reason that those who maintain intimate
relationships over the long haul are actually slashing their
risk of second heart attacks by a factor of four!
The bottom line is this: No man (or woman) is an island.
Whether research proves it or not, close relationships of
all types are good for the soul – and GREAT for the heart.
So build them, maintain them, and keep them for as long as
you possibly can (which will be all that much longer for
their benefits).
It really does make perfect sense, doesn’t it? When a good
relationship ends, what do we call it: Broken-hearted.
Apparently, there’s more truth to this than anyone would
ever have thought.
Staying healthy by staying close to my family, friends and
readers,
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
