Being married appears to be a heart-healthy lifestyle, according to researchers.

Married men and women had lower rates of heart disease than those who were widowed, divorced or single, with fewer conditions like hardening of the arteries or blood clots, a study found. The research, which analyzed medical records of 3.5 million people nationwide evaluated for heart disease, was presented today in Washington at the American College of Cardiology meeting.

While reasons behind the marriage findings are unclear, it supports previous studies that show couples tend to be healthier and live longer than singles. The study reinforces the idea that heart health can be affected by social as well as physiological factors, said Vera Bittner, chairwoman of ACCs Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Committee.

We cannot estimate cardiovascular risks purely based on metabolic abnormalities that we can measure but psychosocial variables could also be very important, said Bittner, a professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, on a conference call with reporters.

The study is the largest of its kind, said Carlos Alviar, a cardiology fellow at New York Universitys Langone Medical Center and the studys lead author.

The findings dont mean people should rush out and tie the knot to reduce their heart disease risk, Bittner said. The studies only show an association. Still, doctors need to make sure they know patients marital status and whether they have support when ill, she said in an e-mail.

We are not advising people to get married as a way to prevent cardiovascular disease, said Alviar in an e-mail. When it comes to cardiovascular disease, marital status does indeed matter and it is important for clinicians to take this into account when they are examining patients.

Having a spouse may help promote a more robust lifestyle and ease access to medical care, researchers said.

In the study, 69 percent were married, 13 percent were widowed, 8.3 percent were single and 9 percent were divorced.

They found that those who were married had a 5 percent lower risk of vascular disease, which can include conditions like hardening of the arteries or blood clots, than singles and a 19 percent reduced chance of peripheral artery disease, in which plaque builds up in the bodys arteries. The greatest benefit was seen in married people who were ages 50 and younger.

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Marriage Is a Prescription for a Healthy Heart, Study Suggests