In the three-month period following a spouse¹'s death, widows and widowers² are more likely to exhibit risk factors linked to cardiovascular illness and death, according to a new study.

一项新研究指出，配偶去世后的三个月里，丧偶的人更可能表现出与心血管疾病或死亡有关的风险因素。

This could make a bereaved³ spouse more likely to "die of a broken heart," the researchers say.

这会使丧偶的人更可能“死于心碎”，研究人员说道。

The study found that individuals who have lost a spouse within the last three months have higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lower heart rate variability (HRV) compared with non-bereaved individuals who share the sex, age, body mass index, and educational level.

研究发现，当人们的性别、年龄、体质指数和受教育程度相同的时候，与那些没有失去配偶的人相比，在最近三个月里丧偶的人有更高浓度的致炎细胞因子和更低的心率变动水平。

Both are factors that increase an individual's risk for cardiac events, including death. The study is the first to demonstrate that bereavement⁴ is associated with elevated levels of ex vivo cytokines and lower HRV.

这两种因素都会增加一个人罹患心脏病或死亡的风险。该研究首次证明，丧亲与更高水平的体外细胞因子及更低的心率变动水平有关。

The 32 recently bereaved individuals who participated in the study exhibited 47 percent lower levels of HRV than the 33 people in the control group. The bereaved individuals exhibited 7 percent higher levels of TNF-alpha (one type of cytokine) and 5 percent higher levels of IL-6 (another type of cytokine) than the control group.

与对照组的33人相比，参与研究的32名最近丧偶的人，其心率变动水平要低47%，而且其体内TNF-alpha（一种细胞因子）的含量要高7%，IL-6（另一种细胞因子）的含量要高5%。

Fagundes says the study adds to a growing understanding of how bereavement can affect heart health.

法贡德斯表示，这项研究使人们更加了解丧失亲人会如何影响心脏健康。

He hopes the research will help medical professionals better understand the biological mechanisms⁵ triggered by bereavement and allow for the creation of targeted psychological and/or pharmacological interventions⁶ to reduce or prevent the toll⁷ of a "broken heart."

他希望这一研究会帮助医学专家更好地理解丧失亲人所引起的生物机理，使他们可以研究出有针对性的心理和/或药理干预方法以减少或防止“心碎”导致的伤亡。

"Although not every bereaved individual is at the same risk for cardiac events, it is important to point out that the risk exists," Fagundes says. "In our future work, we seek to identify which widows/widowers are at greatest risk, and which are resilient to the negative physiological⁸ consequences of bereavement."

“虽然并不是每一个丧偶的人都面临着同样的罹患心脏病的风险，但指明这种风险的存在很重要，”法贡德斯说道。“在我们未来的工作中，我们要设法确认哪种丧失配偶的人面临着最大的风险，哪些人能从丧亲的负面心理影响中恢复过来。”