Sunday, 15 December 2019 06:06

Why having close friends is literally good for your heart

Rate this item
(0 votes)

With so much of an emphasis placed on romantic relationships and/or being a parent, sometimes we forget about how important friendships actually are. For many people, friends are family — our chosen family, that is — and our primary support network. Now, thanks to new research from the Women’s Health Initiative, we know that for women in particular, having friends is good for our heart — literally.

Specifically, the study, which was published in the journal Menopause, found that for postmenopausal women, strong friendships and social support may reduce their risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Over the course of 11 years of follow-up with participants, researchers found that for the women who didn’t have cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the project, perceived social support is associated with a slightly lower risk of heart-related death. They didn’t see the same correlation among women who had a history of heart disease.

Those behind the study noted that this association is modest, but significant. They hypothesized that these results show that friendship and social support are beneficial in either promoting stress relief or helping to buffer stressful life events. According to the American Heart Association, stress may affect behaviors and factors that increase your risk of heart disease, so anything that can help decrease stress — in this case, friendship and support — can be beneficial. 

“This study found a small but significant association between perceived social support and mortality in women without prior cardiovascular disease,” JoAnn Pinkerton, North American Menopause Society executive director said in a statement.

“If psychological or social support can help prevent heart disease in women, we need further studies to determine what support would be most helpful.”

Of course, further clarification and investigation on this topic are necessary. But it’s pretty safe to say that having friends and a support network is definitely a good thing.

 

SheKnows

January 15, 2025

Nigerian stock market loses N1.1trn in major selloff

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) experienced a significant decline yesterday as investors lost N1.1 trillion…
January 11, 2025

Ohanaeze Ndigbo gets new President-General

John Azuta-Mbata, a former senator, has been elected as the new president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,…
January 15, 2025

Essential skills needed to make money online in 2025

Melissa Houston Due to technological advancements and global digitization, there are growing opportunities to make…
January 04, 2025

Shy man cuts off 4 fingers instead of telling boss he wanted to quit his…

A 32-year-old Indian man admitted to cutting off four fingers on his left hand to…
January 14, 2025

Boko Haram’s strategy created 60,000 child fighters, military chief says

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has disclosed that over 60,000 children are among…
January 15, 2025

Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 467

Gaza ceasefire appears close as US, Egyptian leaders put focus on 'coming hours' Negotiators were…
December 25, 2024

Stem cell therapy to correct heart failure in children could 'transform lives'

Renowned visionary English physician William Harvey wrote in 1651 about how our blood contains all…
January 08, 2025

NFF appoints new Super Eagles head coach

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Éric Sékou Chelle as the new Head Coach…

NEWSSCROLL TEAM: 'Sina Kawonise: Publisher/Editor-in-Chief; Prof Wale Are Olaitan: Editorial Consultant; Femi Kawonise: Head, Production & Administration; Afolabi Ajibola: IT Manager;
Contact Us: [email protected] Tel/WhatsApp: +234 811 395 4049

Copyright © 2015 - 2025 NewsScroll. All rights reserved.