Experts say that being married reduces the risk of developing dementia in several ways.
The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, analyzed at least 15 studies that combined data from more than 812,000 people from around the world. Compare divorced or unmarried people with married people.
The study found that widows had at least a 20 percent higher risk of developing dementia than married people, and never-married people after adjusting for gender and age-related risk factors. This risk is 42% higher.
According to research, being married reduces the risk of developing dementia in various ways. Married people spend time on a daily basis in a variety of social engagements based on mutual affinity and connection, which can improve a person's cognitive ability, mental capacity, and memory.
In addition, past research has shown that being married results in better decision-making, such as eating healthier and increasing exercise, and smoking less, all of which can help reduce the risk of dementia.
Widowed people have a higher risk of dementia than divorced people, researchers say, and this may be due to bereavement, which puts more stress on the part of the mind that deals with memory than divorce.
However, the authors say that preventing dementia is not so simple as the study shows a link between dementia risk and marriage. But, understanding how specific factors related to marital status may affect dementia risk remains largely unknown.
Whereas a person with dementia factors such as cognitive and memory deficits is less likely to marry, although if they had found a partner before the symptoms of dementia, they may have been somewhat protected from the disease. While more research is needed to better understand what widows and singles can do to reduce their risk of dementia.
In a society where the isolation of the elderly is increasing, to reduce social isolation, there is a need to take measures to reconnect the elderly to protect them from these diseases.