TEL AVIV, Israel, April 9 (UPI) -- Men who said they were in a happy marriage had less risk of dying from a stroke, researchers in Israel said.
Uri Goldbourt of Tel Aviv University's Neufeld Cardiac Institute examined data collected from 10,000 men, all civil servants, beginning in 1965 and tracked for 34 years. The men were asked about their happiness levels and marital status.
The study found single men had a 64 percent higher risk of dying from a stroke than married men. However, being happy in the marriage made all the difference.
Men, who said they were unhappy in their marriage had a 64 percent higher risk of a fatal stroke than those who said they were in a happy marriage.
However, Goldbourt said these are only preliminary results and there was no data for those who survived a stroke or for women.
Many studies have reported the health benefits of marriage, but a bad marriage may be as bad for a person's health as being single, Goldbourt suggested.
The findings were presented at the American Stroke Association's International Conference.
