A medical professional has provided insight into how loving relationships may positively influence your heart health.
While Valentine’s Day has come and gone, the affection you shared with a partner, friend, family member, or even a pet can significantly impact your heart health.
Dr. Joy Gelbman, a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, shared with The New York Post that there is “evidence” indicating that supportive, happy relationships benefit heart health.
She elaborated, “One theory is that being in a loving relationship can raise levels of oxytocin and lower stress hormones like cortisol, which can improve blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health.”
According to Healthline, oxytocin is “a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter” and is crucial in reproduction, facilitating “labor and the release of breastmilk” in females and aiding sperm movement in males.
Healthline further explains, “When you’re attracted to another person, your brain releases dopamine, your serotonin levels increase, and oxytocin is produced. This causes you to feel a surge of positive emotion.”
Oxytocin is generated through activities we find enjoyable, such as hobbies and acts of kindness, and is even more potent during actions like hugging, kissing, and sex.
Healthline also notes that this hormone can lead to a “reduction in blood pressure and of the stress hormone norepinephrine.”
A study published in Biological Psychology in 2005 found “more frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women.”
Furthermore, a 2022 study from Michigan State University suggests there is potential evidence that oxytocin could aid in the regeneration of lost heart muscle cells, as reported by Medical News Today.
This research raises hopes that oxytocin might assist individuals who have experienced a heart attack by facilitating the restoration of lost heart muscle cells.
A 2017 study also showed that unmarried individuals have a 45 percent higher likelihood of dying from cardiovascular illnesses compared to those who are married.
However, Dr. Gelbman pointed out, “While marriage is associated with lower heart disease risk for both men and women, the effect may be stronger in men.”
It’s also important to consider the impact of being in an unhappy marriage.
Dr. Gelbman added, “A study of married men in the UK found that men who reported improvement in the quality of a marriage over time also had improvements in cardiac risk factors such as cholesterol and body mass index (BMI), compared with those who reported being in consistently happy or unhappy marriages.”
If the prospect of re-entering the dating scene doesn’t appeal to you, Dr. Gelbman emphasized that “it is not just romantic love that improves heart health, but strong social networks of supportive friends and family can also have health benefits.”
“Even having a pet can improve heart health by keeping a person more active and more social, both of which impact the heart in a positive way,” she concluded.