According to a new study it was revealed that “Polygamy increases risk of heart disease in men by four fold”.  It was presented at the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Congress, a meeting of cardiologists in Abu Dhabi by King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The research was done on 687 married men aged 59, in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. About two thirds of men in the research were monogamous while the others had two or three wives.  The results were quite surprising that 56 percent of subjects had diabetes, 57 percent had hypertension and 45 percent had a past history of CAD. Men with more than 1 wife were more likely to be older, live in a rural area, have a higher income and have a history of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Dr Amin Daoulah, a cardiologist at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, said: 'There is evidence that married people have better overall health and longevity but until now no study has assessed the effect of polygamy on cardiovascular health. We found an association between an increasing number of wives and the severity and number of coronary blockages’. The reason could be because the need to provide and maintain separate households multiplies the financial burden and emotional expense.

The researchers have found significant association between number of wives and the presence of CAD, LMD and MVD. Risk increased with the number of wives. After adjusting for baseline differences, the researchers showed that men who practiced polygamy had a 4.6-fold increased risk of CAD, a 3.5-fold increased risk of LMD and a 2.6-fold elevated risk of MVD.
Experts suggest monogamy is safer than polygamy to have peace of mind and to stay healthy.

By Lizitha