Mar 28, 2014 11:39 AM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

People who are married may have a lower risk of developing several cardiovascular diseases than those who are single, divorced or widows, according to a recent study.

Research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63^rd Annual Scientist Session found that for people aged 50 and younger, marriage is associated with 12 percent lower odds of any vascular disease. This number drops to 7 percent for people between the ages of 51 and 60, and to 4 percent for those 61 and older, according to a press release.

"These findings certainly shouldn't drive people to get married, but it's important to know that decisions regarding who one is with, why, and why not may have important implications for vascular health," Carlos L. Alviar, lead investigator of the study and cardiology fellow at New York University's Langone Medical Center, said in a statement.

Alviar added that while earlier, smaller studies reported similar findings, the size of the recent study, as well as the ability to consider four different vascular diseases -- peripheral artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm and coronary artery disease -- and to discriminate between various types of marital status makes this research different from anything that's previously been done.

"We are able to take a better look at a spectrum of relationships," Alviar said.

For the study, researchers analyzed records from a database of more than 3.5 million people nationwide who were evaluated for cardiovascular diseases. Researchers obtained the demographic information and cardiovascular risk factors, and estimated the odds of disease by marital status after analyzing the presence of vascular disease in different blood vessel locations such as the coronary arteries, leg arteries, carotids and the abdominal aorta.

After adjusting for age, sex, race and other cardiovascular risk factors, they found marital status was independently associated with cardiovascular disease. These findings were consistent for both men and women across the four conditions.

Researchers said more research is needed to better understand what aspects of marriage might be associated with improved vascular health; for example, better access to health insurance and health care, socioeconomic status and the potential benefits of having companionship.

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