A study has found that married people have fewer chances to suffer heart or blood-vessel problems compared to divorced, widowed or single people. The study based on the assessment of 3.5 million Americans has been presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology held in Washington, D.C.

Lead researcher Carlos L. Alviar from the New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City and team assessed participants for different problems like peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease.

Of the total, 69.1% of participants were married, 13.5% were widowed, 9% were divorced and 8.3% were single. After adjusting factors like age, sex, race and risk factors, marital status was found to be independently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

In comparison to single participants, married subjects had lower odds of any vascular disease (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; P < 0.0001), widowed (OR, 1.03) and divorced (OR, 1.05) subjects were found to have the higher odds. The findings were applicable on men and women.

The reduced odds of CVD in married people were more in younger ages. Widowed people were found to have the maximum rate of high blood pressure, diabetes and inconsistent exercise.

"Married people can look after each other, making sure their spouse eats healthy, exercises regularly, and takes medication as prescribed", said co-author of the study. A spouse also keeps a check on doctors' appointments and provides transportation making access to health care service easier.