long marriages lower the risk of dementia – Wel.nl

Not getting divorced may be the best thing you can do for your cognitive health, a new study reveals. Researchers in Norway say adults who stay with their partners into middle age have the lowest risk of developing dementia. On the other hand, a divorce or remaining single leads to the highest rates of the disease.

“Exactly what causes dementia is a mystery. This study indicates that being married and a lower risk of dementia are linked, but we don’t know why,” said Asta Håberg, a physician at St. Olav’s Hospital and a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

The team from NTNU and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health examined different types of relationships over a 24-year period. Participants were married, divorced, or single between the ages of 44 and 68. The team then analyzed whether marital status was associated with a diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment when these individuals turned 70.

Specifically, the team looked at about 150,000 people living in Norway’s Nord-Trøndelag county who took part in hunt-study health surveys. Researchers compared the incidence of dementia to health factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, psychological problems and each person’s number of close friendships.

“One theory is that people who are married have healthier lives, and this explains differences in the risk of various diseases. In this survey, we found no support for health differences between married and single people explaining the difference in risk of dementia,” says Håberg . “We thought these factors would mean something, but they didn’t explain anything.”

What remains is the relationship.

Bron(nen): Study Finds