OK, so the headline may be a little misleading. But it’s just too good to pass up. Now, let’s provide a little clarity.
A new study from the Journal of the American Medical Association found that married patients tended to fare better after heart surgery than single or divorced patients. The results came from a University of Michigan study that looked at more than 1,500 adults over the age of 50. Researchers looked at whether the patients developed any sort of illness or complication post-surgery. Among the findings, unmarried patients had a 40 percent greater chance of dying or developing a disability after surgery than their married counterparts.
Doctors say the results may indicate that emotional and physical support following something as trying as heart surgery can have major benefits. "Most heart surgeons would agree that emotional stressors will complicate operations," Dr. Ashish Shah of Vanderbilt University told ABC News.
Maybe love can’t exactly mend a broken heart, but having a loved one—either a spouse or someone else—serving as a caretaker might be as close as we can get.
