(CBS News) – People who divorce face a higher risk of suffering a heart attack than those who remain in wedded bliss, but remarriage may not be the remedy, at least not for women, a new study suggests.
Duke University researchers found that among nearly 16,000 U.S. adults followed over two decades, those who were divorced at some point had a higher heart attack risk than those who stayed married.
The connection seemed stronger among women, but there was no evidence that a second marriage improved their situation. Women who remarried were still 35 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who stayed with their first husband.
The study, published April 14 in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality Outcomes, does not prove that divorce causes a person’s heart trouble. There could be other reasons for the association, experts said.