CRAZY HEART: GETTING DIVORCED IS BAD FOR WOMEN, BUT OMEGA-3S CAN HELP

Getting divorced is bad for the heart, and not only for ethical or passionate reasons but also physiological ones; in fact, the pain of separation would add a greater risk of heart attack, especially for women. It is the conclusion of a study conducted in the United States of over 15,800 people, signed by a team from Duke University and published in Circulation, a magazine ofAmerican Heart Association. Too many worries, including economic ones, undermine daily life after separation and divorce is an important psychological burden, especially for women: stress affects the lowering of immune defenses, increasing inflammation in the body and the production of hormones that they affect the state of health of heart and arteries.

Omega-3 "allies" of the heart

Help prevent cardiac events and protect the heart comes from the essential Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which important studies have shown to have a beneficial effect on the heart. And not only. We are talking about the pharmaceutical specialty, or preparations with a higher concentration (85%) of the active ingredient, compared to common supplements. Their intake would be able to reduce the incidence of death related to cardiovascular events by up to 30%, thanks to their anti-rhythmic action but also to the lowering of the fundamental parameters for cardiac health: blood pressure and triglyceride level. Among other things, the effectiveness of Omega-3-based drugs is recognized by our Health System, which has ordered their free administration for specific categories of patients (note 13 and note 94 of the Italian Medicines Agency - AIFA).

Why do divorced women risk more?

During the research, conducted between 1992 and 2010, divorced women were observed to have a 24% higher risk of heart attacks than those who remained married; risk factors further increase for women with multiple divorces. The results of the study would demonstrate an association between personal exposure to a fact considered relevant, such as divorce, and the increased risk related to myocardial infarction.

The risks related to divorce would be comparable, in terms of severity, to other traditional risk factors. The researchers, however, argue that further insights will be needed to examine the mechanisms that contribute to these associations and to assess how this information can be used to guide and identify appropriate treatments for the most vulnerable sections of the population. As Matthew Dupre, associate professor of medicine and lead author of the study argues, this is one of the first studies to look at the cumulative long-term effect of divorce, and researchers have found that it can have a lasting footprint on people's health, but we need insights to bring further scientific data.

In collaboration with Portal della Salute - Postinfarto.it and Trigliceridi.com