A doctor has weighed in on the effect experiencing loving relationships can have on your heart health.
Valentine's Day may've passed and whether you celebrated with a partner, friend, family or dog, the love you felt from loved ones around you could actually play a role in your heart health.
The 'love' hormone
Cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr Joy Gelbman told The New York Post there's 'evidence' that being 'in supportive, happy relationships is heart healthy'.
"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." she continued.
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Healthline explains oxytocin is 'a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter' which also plays an important role in reproduction, triggering 'labor and the release of breastmilk' in females and encouraging the movement of sperm in males.
"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," it adds.
Oxytocin can be produced as a result of doing activities we find pleasing, for example hobbies, acts of kindness, but even stronger when it comes to acts such as hugging, kissing and sex.
And Healthline reveals the hormone can cause a 'reduction in blood pressure and of the stress hormone norepinephrine'.
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How this can impact the heart
A 2005 study - published in Biological Psychology - revealed 'more frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women'.
And that's not all the hormone could help with, a 2022 study by Michigan State University researchers stating there's potential evidence that oxytocin helps stimulate the regeneration of lost heart muscle cells too, Medical News Today reported.
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The study has led researchers to hope oxytocin may help those who've experienced a heart attack then have lost heart muscle cells restored more easily.
And unmarried people versus married people have a 45 percent higher rate of dying from a cardiovascular related illness, a 2017 study revealed.
Although, Dr Gelman noted: "While marriage is associated with lower heart disease risk for both men and women, the effect may be stronger in men."
And there's also being in an unhappy marriage to take into consideration too.
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Dr Gelbman added: "That said, 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."
Fear not if you can't bear the thought of giving the apps another go though in a bid for a potentially healthier heart, as Dr Gelbman stressed: “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."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health
Poppy Bilderbeck