Women stuck in rocky relationships are more likely to suffer depression, which in turn can lead to a condition making them ripe for heart disease, stroke and diabetes, according to University of Utah researchers.

By contrast, bad relationships affect men's mental health, but that doesn't translate into heart health the same way it does with women, these researchers said.

The researchers based their results on questionnaires completed by 276 couples who had been married for an average of 20 years. They were also assessed for depression based on their self-reported symptoms. Doctors then conducted tests on the participants to assess them for signs of metabolic syndrome, the precursor condition to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

The researchers said that women in bad marriages were more likely to have depression and increased symptoms of metabolic syndrome. The men in bad relationships showed signs of depression, but this did not appear to impact their cardiovascular health.