Can being religious prevent heart attacks?
If I go to church, will I lower my risk of having a heart attack?
I’ll summarize this with a recently seen church sign: God wants full custody, not just weekend visits. Now, to the science. In Israel, researchers in 1986 observed a large difference in church attendance between people who had heart attacks and those who didn’t. Of those with heart attacks, 80% did NOT attend church, while 80% of those without heart disease, attended church weekly.
So I can suffer through a sermon or suffer a heart attack. Is that what you’re saying?
A more recent study showed that women who attended church more than once per week, were also less likely to have heart attacks, and live 6 months longer over the 20 years of the study. Another study reported that people who attended church more than once a week starting from the age of 20, would likely live 7 years longer compared with non-church goers. By the way, do you know what the best vitamin is for a believer?
No.
B1.
Arghhh. Quit the corny church jokes. Is there a difference between religions? I imagine those that make you feel really guilty all the time probably shorten your life.
Good question. Nobody really has broken down churches or faiths by life expectancy. There are two interesting studies on specific religious groups. Seventh Day Adventists are mostly vegetarians.. One 12 year study of over 59,000 members in Southern California, showed that eating whole grains, nuts, and little or no meat was associated with less heart disease. A 12 year study of over 10,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, showed that their heart attack risk was 1/3rd that of the general population. It was also observed that the life expectancy for men was 84 years, and for women was 86 — much higher than the general population. One factor that was associated with longer life was weekly church attendance.
But the church benches hurt my bum-bum. Can I get the health benefits of religious people by adopting their lifestyles, instead of going to church EVERY Sunday?
I think what you’re asking is: “Does the benefit of going to church come from the lifestyle or is it the going to church itself?” The answer is probably a mixture of both. People who go to church are better in every lifestyle factor for heart disease except one: weight. Otherwise church goers drink less alcohol, smoke less, exercise more, eat healthier, and have lower cholesterol. Interestingly, inflammatory blood markers like C-reactive protein, are also lower in people who go to church.
Anything else?
Church itself probably provides a perspective that allows people a healthy response to life stressors. Going to church exposes people to supportive social interaction. People who go to church report being happier, more satisfied with life, less depressed, less lonely, and less angry.
What, no more church jokes?
How do you know that Noah was brave?
Tell me.
Because he was willing to sail on the ark with two termites.
And Joseph was the first tennis player because he served in Pharaoh’s court. Ha Ha. Really though, I can be spiritual without going to church.
That’s like saying I can be smart but don’t need to go to school. The structure of school “pushes” one to be smarter. The story is told of a Phillippino grandfather who carried his grandson on his shoulders for the entire Bataan death march during World War II. Before the march began, many of his friends told him to leave the boy behind. After the march, the grandfather survived while many of his friends died. When asked why he would put his life at risk by carrying his grandson, the man replied “I did not carry my grandson – he carried me.” The teachings we hear at church encourage us to do things beyond ourselves. That’s got to be heart healthy.
Fair point. But all the sedentary time in church over the years can’t be good for you.
It’s well accepted that being sedentary is associated with poor health. However, a study done on Tibetan monks showed that their blood pressure became better the more hours they spent doing sedentary activities like meditating, chanting, and learning buddhist teachings.
Arrrgh! I can’t win. My mom was right; I should have kept going to church. Just say a prayer for me that I won’t have a heart attack.
Praying for heart patients may not be all that effective. One study has shown that praying for those with heart conditions improves the way they feel about being in the hospital but doesn’t improve their outcomes. Another study has shown that when hospital chaplains pray for heart patients for 28 days, that the prayed-over-sick do not have less time in the hospital or have a better outcome.
Maybe 28 days wasn’t long enough.
How about 26 weeks after being discharged from the cardiac care unit? Compared to patients who were not prayed for, there was no difference between them in death, heart attacks, or in being hospitalized again.
I bet the outcomes would have been different if the patients knew they were being prayed for.
Surprisingly, one study has shown that people who knew they were being prayed for before and after bypass surgery had more complications.
Okay Doc, just summarize it for me.
What’s missing from Ch__ch? U R. Go to church at least weekly.
Okay . . . that’s a good one. But please don’t pray for me.