Loving Relationships and Your Heart

You know the drill. Eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet, exercise, don't smoke or drink too much or get too stressed to help prevent heart disease. But, did you know a person's thoughts, behaviors and beliefs can effect their cardiovascular system. It has been scientifically proven that thoughts, behaviors and beliefs related to love and relationships effects the health of your heart.

A study at Yale University looked at coronary blockages in adult men and women and found that the adults who felt the most loved and supported had substantially less blockages in their coronary arteries. The researchers also found the quality of the relationships was a better predictor of the severity of coronary blockages than the quantity of relationships. The better the relationship, the less severe the blockage.

A famous study at Duke University looked at fourteen hundred male and female patients, all with blocked coronary arteries. The study demonstrated the importance of being close to someone you can confide in on a regular basis. The five year study showed that those participants who were unmarried and had no one to confide in were more that three times more likely to have died in the five year period that those who were happily married or had someone to confide in.

Cardiologist, Dr. Dean Ornish, founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute and professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, states in his book, Love and Survival: The Scientific Basis for the Healing Power of Intimacy, "Although diet, blood pressure, and other risk factors play an important role in developing heart disease and angina, these forces can be significantly moderated by a loving relationship."

Humans are community beings. Loving relationships are good for your heart. Making family and friends a priority is a heart healthy choice. Take the time to connect and cultivate loving relationships. It is good for your heart and your life.

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