And No It's Not Fair...


An unhappy marriage may be as bad for your health as a fast-food diet.

Investigators have found that women in rocky relationships were up to 40 percent more likely than happily hitched women to have metabolic syndrome—a cluster of health issues including obesity and high cholesterol that can lead to heart disease.

Chronic stress stimulates the release of the hormone cortisol, which causes the body to store fat in the belly. Excess ab fat is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome, says study author Tim Smith of the University of Utah.