Friday, 11/18/2011 at 10:07:12 AM
By Jennipher Walters
Article from Shape
He's a heartbreaker. That story breaks my heart. She was heartbroken over it.
So often we link emotion to the heart, especially when it comes to loss. And many times, when people are going through something emotionally difficult, they say that their hearts actually hurt. While anyone who's been through a tough break-up or has lost someone knows this is true, research backs it up. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken heart syndrome, is real. And researchers have found that women are nine times more likely than men to suffer from broken heart syndrome.
Although it's rare, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is usually trigged by stress after a big emotional event. The stress causes an increase of adrenaline that stuns the heart and can cause chest pain, making sufferers feel as though they're having a heart attack. Researchers aren't exactly sure why women are more affected than men by broken heart symptom, but say it's important that everyone — men and women — reach out for support when under severe stress or, you guessed it, heart break.
Jennipher Walters is the CEO and co-founder of the healthy living websites FitBottomedGirls.com and FitBottomedMamas.com. A certified personal trainer, lifestyle and weight management coach and group exercise instructor, she also holds an MA in health journalism and regularly writes about all things fitness and wellness for various online publications.
Article from Shape