Marriage Lowers Risk of Dementia Says New Study

Do you want to avoid developing dementia?

Then you may want to get married!

Marriage is a traditional institution that has benefits on many levels including social, familial, psychological, economic, and spiritual.

Now, a new study suggests that there may be physiological benefits to marriage as well, leading to a lower risk of dementia.

Dementia

Effecting 42 million people worldwide, the term dementia refers to a general loss of brain function. This includes cognitive abilities such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

Dementia is a result of dysfunction in brain and nerve cells called neurons. When neurons lose their ability to generate energy, lose connection with one another, or die off without being replaced, the result is symptoms of dementia.

Luckily, a new meta-analysis has found that you can avoid the debilitating effects of dementia with marriage.

The Study

Published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, the new paper examined 15 previously published studies with a combined sample set of over 800,000 people. Study participants were from countries all over the world including North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

The participants in the studies used consisted of 28-80 percent married, 8-48 percent widowed, 0-16 percent divorced, and 0-32.5 single.

The Results

The researchers found that those who are lifelong singles increase their risk of developing dementia by 42 percent!

Additionally, those who have been widowed have a 20 percent increased risk of developing the disease.

Interestingly, there was no difference in risk between those who were married and those who were divorced.

The results were consistent even after the researchers accounted for the physical health of the participants.

The paper states that, “our findings, from large populations, across numerous countries and time periods are the strongest evidence yet that married people are less likely to develop dementia.”

Although the correlation is strong, it still does not equal causation.

Possible Explanations

Dr. Laura Phipps of Alzheimer’s Research, UK commented on the study in The Guardian saying “spouses may help to encourage healthy habits, look out for their partner’s health and provide important social support. Research suggests that social interaction can help to build cognitive reserve – a mental resilience that allows people to function for longer with a disease like Alzheimer’s before showing symptoms.”

Benefits of marriage in old age include increased social interaction and psychological support which help keep the brain active and healthy. Married people are also more likely to have immediate family such as children, grandchildren, and in-laws to further add to a social support network.

Married people are also more likely to take care of their health through by cooking healthy meals at home and engaging in physical activity such as walking and hiking.

The researchers also theorize that those with risk factors for dementia may be more likely to be single to begin with. In other words, they are single for a reason. This could be because they are less willing to compromise, have trouble communicating effectively, or have generally difficult personalities.

Marriage is Best

Fundamentally, marriage is what is best for the health of our minds, bodies, communities, and society. Marriage promotes familial stability and forms the basis for Western Civilization.

This study only adds further evidence that marriage is a good decision.

When a healthy marriage is combined with a low-glycemic whole foods diet and an active lifestyle, the risk of developing dementia will be considerably reduced.