Bonitas Member Magazine B-Living Issue 2_2019 | Page 6

Improve your relationship to protect your
heart
Relationships aren’t always perfect, but if you constantly feel anxious or needy,
you could be putting yourself at a higher risk of cardiovascular problems. People
who constantly feel as if their loved ones could leave them may actually end up
with a broken heart, says a new study by the American Psychological Association.
Researchers found that participants in the study who had
'attachment insecurity' were strongly associated with
higher risk of stroke, high blood pressure, ulcers and heart
attack. Thus, working on improving your relationship
can have a positive effect on your cardiovascular
health as well.
In addition, another study, which examined
data from more than 309,000 people,
found that lack of strong relationships
increased the risk of premature
death from all causes by 50% — an
effect on mortality risk roughly
comparable to smoking up
to 15 cigarettes a day, and
greater than obesity and
physical inactivity.