By Dianne Gebhardt-French
SmartHealthToday
People with good marriages tend to eat better, live longer, exercise more, relax more, and heal better, said Dr. Mohanjit Brar of St. Elizabeth Healthcare Heart & Vascular Institute.
When you look at all the data – and yes, studies dating to 1858 –“marriage is a healthy estate.”
No strict definition based on the societal prescriptions of the day is required.
When you look at all the data, said Brar, people with a spouse, life partner, or committed network of friends, are more likely to have a positive life pattern of diet, activity and engagement. It all adds up to “how happy people are with their lives,” said Brar, board certified in cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology.
When you look at people who live the longest, like in Italy and Sardinia, it’s clear, he explained. “You have all these people who live into their 90’s. Their basic lives are very simple. You have people who are very content with their life, you have people who are very socially engaged, you have people very engaged in community work. They have a good support system,” said Brar.
The system can be a life partner or a system of friends. Studies show that people who are engaged and involved in a community are more content.
“Heart disease is not a simple process of plaque buildup,” said Brar. Plaque buildup starts at birth, as shown in the famed autopsies of WWI military casualties, which showed plaque buildup and healthy hearts.
“Everything plays a role in it, diet patterns, exercise pattern and how happy people are with their lives,” said Brar. Couples have a “more holistic approach when it comes to diseases, in general,” said Brar, specifically asthma, COPD, arthritis, and efforts to reduce inflammation. As you lower inflammation, the risk for events, including heart attacks and stroke, decreases.
Depression is another consideration for doctors. “When people are by themselves, they tend to be more lonely, and that itself can be a trigger for a lot of chronic problems,” said Brar.
Or, as my son-in-law playfully teases me, “happy wife, happy life.”
He’s not kidding.
SmartHealthToday is a service of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.