But, overall, remarriage is good for their diet, boosting their vegetable intake and reducing their alcohol consumption?particularly in younger men?the research showed.

The findings are based on almost 40,000 participants of a long term study into chronic illness. All of the participants were male health care professionals, excluding doctors, and they were between 40 and 75 years of age at the start of the study in 1986.

The men were surveyed every four years on their marital status, diet, and health, up to 1994.

Compared with men who remained widowed or divorced/separated, men who remarried put on weight and cut down on the amount of exercise they took.

But their diet improved, and they ate more vegetables, lean poultry and cut down on sugary drinks. The effects were stronger in younger men who remarried after the loss of a spouse.

Compared with men who stayed married in any four year period, men whose wives died increased their alcohol consumption and decreased their vegetable intake. Marital break-up signified weight loss.

The authors conclude that the break up of a marriage through death or divorce is bad for men's health, and especially their diets.

Contact:Dr Patricia Mona Eng, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USATel: +1 617 432 3123Email: mengepidemiology

Click here to view the paper in full

Kloner is a professor in the division of cardiovascular medicine in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and director of research at the Heart Institute at Good Samaritan Hospital. In his editorial, he wrote that the research is now definitive and includes nationwide data over a longer period.

Kloner suggested that overindulgence, emotional stress and respiratory problems could also lead to more deaths. The increased use of fireplaces during the holidays may lead to increased inhalation of airborne particulate matter.

People and healthcare providers can be prudent during the holiday season to help diminish this phenomenon, Kloner said. Consumers should seek professional help immediately if they have cardiac symptoms, and they should try to see their usual health care providers, he said.

In response to this trend in increased death rates, Kloner said, Coronary care units and emergency wards should be adequately staffed for the potential increase in patients.

Alice Jacobs, M.D., president of the American Heart Association, said these tips can help keep your heart healthy during the holidays:

Don ™t skip regular appointments because of the holidays.  Reschedule if you need to. Stick to your healthy habits through the holidays, and help your family do the same. Be sure you have enough of your usual medications to allow for holiday business/pharmacy closings and travel. Check out the medical facilities where you ™ll be traveling.  Ask your physician who you could see if you need a doctor away from home. If you have symptoms, don ™t ignore them.

Co-authors with Phillips are Jason R. Jarvinen, B.A.; Ian S. Abramson, Ph.D.; and Rosalie R. Phillips, M.P.H.

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