Midlife divorce increases heart disease for women but not men

Based on several thousand cases beginning at age 51, researchers calculated that by age 60, women who were divorced, remarried, or widowed were nearly 50% more likely to have cardiovascular disease than women who stayed married".

No such difference was seen for men. In fact, men who remarried were actually 19% less likely to develop heart disease than those who had stayed married to the same person. The researchers conclude that "emotional distress and socioeconomic status" cause the harm to women.