WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new long-term study found that older adults who are single may actually have a lower risk of developing dementia than those who are married.
The study followed over 24,000 people for 18 years with the average starting age at 71. Notably, some participants already had mild memory problems at the beginning.
The study, led by Selin Karakose at Florida State University, found that being unmarried (whether widowed, divorced, or never married) was linked to about a 50 percent lower risk of dementia.
The researchers looked at many factors such as age, gender, education, smoking habits, and mental and physical health, and still found that unmarried people were less likely to develop dementia. The effect was especially noticeable in men. Single men, in particular, had a much lower risk than married men.
Even among married people who lost their spouse during the study, the risk of developing dementia was lower compared to those who stayed married.
The study didn't clearly find why this happens, but one theory is that single people may be better at keeping up social connections over time. Staying socially active is known to help keep the brain healthy, but this factor is not always given enough attention in medical research.
Selin Karakose and her colleagues explained that, 'Never married individuals are also more likely to socialize with friends and neighbors and are more likely to engage in healthier behaviors than their married counterparts. Married individuals tend to have less social integration and are engaged in less frequent and lower-quality interactions in their networks compared to their unmarried counterparts. These positive aspects of well-being and social ties may potentially serve as protective factors against dementia over time.'
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