From Medical Daily…
The research team analyzed data on 7,731 male participants between the ages of 20 to 59. They were divided into four groups based on their sexual identities: gay men, heterosexual men, bisexual men, and heterosexual men who have sex with men.
The two objectives of the study were to examine heart disease diagnoses among men of different sexual orientations and also measure their modifiable risk factors for heart disease.
While no correlation was found between sexual identities and heart disease diagnoses, bisexual men were found to have higher rates of several risk factors for heart disease compared to heterosexual men. These included mental distress, obesity, elevated blood pressure, etc.
The other three groups were found to have similar heart disease risk. The only difference observed in health behavior was that gay men reported lower binge drinking than straight 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 lead author Billy Caceres, an adjunct faculty member at Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University.
