For Heart Health, It Takes Two

A number of previous studies suggest that interpersonal relationships play a role in physical health – notably cardiovascular disease.  Bert Uchino, from the University of Utah (Utah, USA), and colleagues enrolled 136 older couples (average age, 63 years) in a study where the participants completed questionnaires measuring their overall marriage quality, as well as their perceived support from their spouse. Specifically, the subjects indicated how helpful or how upsetting their spouse was during times when they needed support, advice, or a favor. The researchers found that about 30% of individuals viewed their partner as delivering positive support, whereas 70% viewed their partner as ambivalent – sometimes helpful and sometimes upsetting.  Using a CT scanner to check for overall calcification in the participants’ coronary arteries, the researchers found that the levels of coronary artery calcification (CAC) -- a key heart biomarker -- were highest when both partners in the relationship viewed each other as ambivalent. When only one partner felt this way, the risk was significantly less. The effect was independent of gender, meaning that these associations  were comparable for husbands and wives. Upon further investigation, the team found that the positive and negative aspects of lending support that were most significant in predicting cardiovascular health, suggesting that these factors exert their effects independently of overall marital quality.