Study says bisexual men are at a higher risk of heart disease
(Creative Commons)
Bisexual men are at a higher risk of heart disease than their heterosexual or gay peers, according to a new study.
A study published in the LGBT health journal on June 11 examined nearly 8,000 men of different sexualities and analysed their risks of heart disease.
The men in the US study were categorised into four groups based on sexual orientation – gay men, bisexual men, heterosexual men who had sex with men, and exclusively heterosexual men.
Nearly 8,000 men were surveyed (Creative Commons)
The study was titled “Sexual Orientation Differences in Modifiable Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease and Cardiovascular Disease in Men” and sought to find any link between sexual orientation and heart disease.
Using data from 7,731 men between the ages of 20 to 59, researchers found that bisexual men had higher levels of stress and higher blood pressure, which have been linked to heart disease.
The research found no difference between men who identified as heterosexual while sleeping with other men and men who were exclusively heterosexual.
Gay men were found to binge drink less than men in the other three groups and had a similar risk of heart disease as heterosexual men.
Gay men were found to binge drink less than heterosexual or bisexual men (Creative Commons)
Billy Caceres, the lead author on the study, said that doctors should screen bisexual men more regularly for stress and heart issues and be better educated about the health of LGBT people.
Caceres said: “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.
“Clinicians should be educated about sexual minority health and should routinely screen bisexual men for mental distress as a risk factor for heart disease.”
The authors called for doctors to have a better understanding of LGBT health (stevanovicigor)
This study feeds into a wider body of research that has discovered that bisexual people are more likely to experience health problems than heterosexual or gay people.
According to research, bisexuals are likely to feel less satisfied, worthwhile and happy than everyone else, as well as suffer from anxiety.
Bisexual people have also been found to have more difficulty sleeping than other people, according to a 2017 study.
(Getty)
A study in April found that straight people think bisexuals are more promiscuous and neurotic than other members of the population.
Previous research in the UK has also shown that bisexual people earn less on average, feel less happy and suffer from higher levels of anxiety than other sexualities.
And then there are the damaging, stigmatising myths about bi people.
