We all know that rocky marriages can be stressful, but new research from the University of Utah says such relationships can take their toll on women’s health.

Women in strained marriages are more likely to feel depressed and suffer high blood pressure, obesity and other signs of "metabolic syndrome," a group of risk factors for heart disease, stroke and diabetes, the research found. Men in similar situations are likely to feel depressed, but they don’t face the same risk for these kinds of ailments. Men, overall, showed far fewer signs of any physical ailments when their marriages weren’t great.

"We hypothesized that negative aspects of marriages like arguing and being angry would be associated with higher levels of metabolic syndrome," says the study’s first author, Nancy Henry, a doctoral student in psychology. "The gender difference is important because heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women as well as men, and we are still learning a lot about how relationship factors and emotional distress are related to heart disease."

This isn’t the first study – and likely won’t be the last – to make a connection between happy marriages and health. A 2008 study showed that spending more happy time with your spouse could protect against depression, diabetes and heart disease.

So does that mean one should ditch the health-risking hubby, or men altogether? You probably shouldn’t move too fast on that one. Try eating healthier and exercising more, instead. Be sure to take care of your health – as well as your emotions – in times that are less than blissful.