Is being bisexual injurious to health?
| Jun 22, 2018, 16:49 IST
A recent study conducted by the New York University states that bisexual men are at a greater risk of heart disease as compared to heterosexual men. "Our findings highlight the impact of sexual orientation, specifically sexual identity, on the cardiovascular health of men and suggest clinicians and public health practitioners should develop tailored screening and prevention to reduce heart disease risk in bisexual men," said the lead author.
"Poor mental health is a recognized risk factor for the development of heart disease," the author added. "Clinicians should be educated about sexual minority health and should routinely screen bisexual men for mental distress as a risk factor for heart disease. This is particularly important as healthcare organizations increasingly include sexual orientation as part of demographic questionnaires in electronic health records," the author continued.
The risk factors measured included mental distress; health behaviors such as tobacco use, binge drinking, diet, and exercise; and biological risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol. Apart from this bisexual men also had higher rates of several risk factors for heart disease like obesity, elevated blood pressure, and three different measures of diabetes.
"Poor mental health is a recognized risk factor for the development of heart disease," the author added. "Clinicians should be educated about sexual minority health and should routinely screen bisexual men for mental distress as a risk factor for heart disease. This is particularly important as healthcare organizations increasingly include sexual orientation as part of demographic questionnaires in electronic health records," the author continued.
The risk factors measured included mental distress; health behaviors such as tobacco use, binge drinking, diet, and exercise; and biological risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol. Apart from this bisexual men also had higher rates of several risk factors for heart disease like obesity, elevated blood pressure, and three different measures of diabetes.