Staying quiet during a marital spat certainly isn't good for women's health, for those who bite their tongue during fights have a higher risk of death.

The finding is based on a new American study conducted over a ten-year period by a team of researchers led by Dr Elaine Eaker.

The team studied 3,682 men and women, most of whom were aged in their forties and fifties at the beginning of the study.

The researchers found that women who 'self-silenced' during spats with their hubby were four times more likely to die than those who didn't, reports the Daily Mail.

Depression and irritable bowel syndrome are also more common in these women.

They also found that a woman's work-stress was also not good for her hubby, for men with wives upset about their jobs were 2.7 times as likely to develop heart disease as men whose wives were less work-stressed.

This happens, the study suggests, because the husband is unable to 'protect' his wife from problems at work.

The study is published in Psychosomatic Medicine.