Tieing the knot is connected to better brains for the aging Couples who remain married for a long time may benefit from some protection against Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.
Researchers discovered that, compared to divorced couples and lifelong singles, people who were who were married for a long time are less likely be diagnosed with dementia. Around 11% were diagnosed with dementia at the age of 70, compared to between 12% and 14% of single or divorced peers.
The researchers also considered other factors that might impact the risk of dementia such as education levels and lifestyle habits long-term marriages were nevertheless associated with a protective result: Married or divorced adults were between 50% and seven times more likely be diagnosed with dementia.
The study isn’t the first one to link marital status and risk of dementia According research conducted by Bjorn Strand who is senior scientist at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health located in Oslo.
“Marriage is reported to be linked with a lower risk of developing dementia in many studies, and our findings reinforce this conclusion,” Strand said.
The main issue is the reason why this link exists. Finding out the reason, Strand said, is essential, particularly when considering the changing social norms and demographics. The number of people who are elderly is growing and increasing numbers of people are at risk of developing dementia while more and more are seeking divorce or deciding to avoid marriage in all.
The results, which were released within the Journal of Aging and Health, were based on over 8700 Norwegian adults with a marital status that was monitored from the age of 44 until the age of 68. Strand’s group then examined connections between participants’ risk for being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease by the age of 70.
In all, less than 12 percent have been identified as suffering from dementia in the time of study, and another 35% of them developed mild cognitive impairment difficulties in thinking and memory that could, or not, develop into dementia.
In general, Strand’s group foundthat marital status was not associated with the likelihood of having more mild impairments. However, there was a distinct link between dementia risk and marital status. Being married provided more security in comparison to being divorced (consistently as well as “intermittently”) as well as not married (which included singles and those who had a relationship with an individual).
Researchers tried to discover reasons. Health conditions that affect the body, such as heart disease, could be a contributing factor to the development of dementia. In the same way, depression, lower levels of education, smoking, and being overweight have been linked to a higher risk of developing dementia.
None of these factors did however appear to completely explain why couples who are divorced or not married were more likely to develop dementia.
In the case of the group of people who were not married It was evident that children were the cause of some of the connection with a higher risk of dementia. Yet, it isn’t clear the unanswered question of why.
“Some possible explanations might be that if your children are around, you’re more active in your mind,” Strand said. “For instance, you need to interact with others and take part in activities you would not otherwise be required to.”
He suggested that this type of social and mental stimulationalong with formal education could assist in the prevention of dementia to some extent. Individuals who have been more mentally active throughout their lives may be more likely to have “cognitive reserve” which is the capacity to resist more brain changes that are characteristic of the process of dementia before signs begin to manifest.
The findings are in line with previous studies on the effects of marriage on dementia, said Claire Sexton, director of the outreach and scientific programs of the Alzheimer’s Association.
However, there are “important warnings,” said Sexton, who was not part of the research.
One reason is that studies like this can’t demonstrate the causality of an event. In addition, Sexton said, it’s unclear if the findings of previous generations are applicable to the younger generation of in the present. Nowadays, it’s more common to see couples that are not married to live together than the past.
There’s also the larger view. The process of developing dementia is complex, Sexton said, and is influenced by a variety of factorswhich include genetics, age and lifestyle as well as physical health and environmental. If marital status is important then it’s just one factor.
At the moment, Sexton pointed to the importance of maintaining a social connection that could be an aspect of the equation in relation to divorce and dementia.
“Staying socially active can improve the health of your cognitive system,” she said. “The Alzheimer’s Association recommends engaging in activities with friends that are relevant to you, and also sharing these activities with your loved ones and friends.”
In the study, Strand’s team did not examine whether or not people said they had “no close relationships with friends,” and that did not explain their findings.
In the near future the researchers will be digging deeperto determine the possibility that loneliness, social isolation, or general satisfaction might be the reason the reasons why marriage status is connected to risk of dementia.
