Health

Better Brain Health And Lowered Dementia Risk May Be One Great Reason To Stay Married To One Person For Many Years

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Although divorced people may not necessarily like this news, a new study that was published in the Journal of Aging and Health, people who remain married to one person for many years in mid-life actually had a lower risk of developing dementia in old age.

Lead author from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH-FHI), Vegard Skirbekk, PhD, said in a press release, “Being married can have an influence on risk factors for dementia.” They went on to explain that for the group that remained married continuously showed lowest incidences of dementia.

Meanwhile, those who were divorced or single were most likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia as they got older. However, among the singles, those with children had lower rates of dementia than those that had no children at all.

For Single and Divorced People, the Risk of Cognitive Decline May Be Highest

To further explore the way marital status may possibly impact brain health, the researchers used data from 8,706 people who were enrolled in the HUNT study. This is a large, ongoing population-based health survey from the Nord-Trøndelag County located in Norway.

The study authors looked at the marital status of those participants over a period of 24 years, between the ages of 44 until 68, in order to see if there was relationship to a clinical diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) after they reached the age of 70.

While dementia is believed to be a more serious impairment to language, memory and thinking that affects day-to-day functioning, MCI is said to be milder, and its symptoms may not even cause issues with daily living. In addition, the Alzheimer’s Association shares that those with MCI may eventually develop dementia, however it is not always the case.

During the study, the participants were put into one of six different groups. These were as follows:

  • Unmarried
  • Continuously married
  • Continuously divorced (divorced throughout the study period)
  • Intermittently divorced (divorced and remarried during the study period)
  • Intermittently married (married and divorced more than once)
  • Widowed

The study authors also looked at age, sex, education levels, as well as other factors like whether their health conditions, the number of children they had, mental distress, and the lack of close friends may have influenced their probability of developing dementia and MCI.

By the end of the 24-year study period, the result showed that ’11.6 percent of participants were diagnosed with dementia, and 35.3 percent were diagnosed with MCI.’

According to the research, their key findings included the following:

  • The prevalence of dementia was higher among the unmarried (14.1 percent) than the continuously married (11.2 percent).
  • The risk of dementia was higher for the unmarried, continuously divorced, and intermittently divorced. The widowed and intermittently married groups had the same risk for dementia and MCI as the continuously married.
  • In general, marital history was less associated with MCI than with dementia. The risk of MCI was only higher among the unmarried relative to the continuously married.

Social Isolation May Be Factor in Raising Dementia Risk

 Study co-author and doctor at St. Olav’s Hospital, as well as a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Asta Håberg, MD, PhD, also shared in the press release, “Exactly what causes dementia is a mystery. This survey indicates that being married and a lower risk of dementia are linked, but we don’t know why.”

One possible explanation is social isolation, which is basically the lack of human connections or support. It can lead to loneliness is some people, while for others, they can feel lonely even if they aren’t socially isolated at all.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it shows that the social isolation factor may significantly increase a person’s risk of premature death from all causes, while also being associated with around 50 percent increased risk of dementia.

Dr. Håberg also explains that one more theory is that those who are married actually live healthier lives, which may explain the difference in the risk of various diseases. In fact, to take a closer look at their theory, the researchers looked at the incidence of dementia and such health factors as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, physical inactivity, psychological issues, and having close friends.

“We thought that these factors would mean something, but they didn’t explain anything. In this survey, we found no support for health differences between married and unmarried people that would explain the difference in dementia risk,” said Håberg.

 

Good Marriages Vs Bad Marriages, Which Helps the Brain? 

While you’d think the answer was obvious, good marriages may help the brain while obviously, bad ones do not. These findings are also supported in former research, such as in the study that was published in the 2019 copy of The Journals of Gerontology. This study found that ‘people who are divorced are twice as likely as married people to experience the cognitive dysfunction associated with dementia, with divorced men having the highest risk.’

Moreover, other research also suggests that unhappy marriages may have the exact opposite effect. Published in the August 2021 copy of the Social Science & Medicine journal, this study found that ‘marital quality was significantly associated with men’s cognitive health but not women’s. Among men, an increase in positive marital quality was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline, whereas an increase in negative marital quality was associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline.’

In conclusion, the authors said that older men in bad relationships may be vulnerable to cognitive decline, and by improving their marriage, they can also protect their cognitive health later on in life.

Single Parents Have Lower Dementia Risk If They Have Kids

The study researchers also saw other interesting outcomes, like the fact that having children reduced the risk of dementia by at least 60 percent in the unmarried group of the study.

Dr. Håberg shared, “Some people have theorized that if you have children, you stay more cognitively engaged. For example, you have to deal with people and participate in activities that you wouldn’t otherwise have to. This stimulates your brain so that it possibly works better. That way you build up a kind of cognitive reserve.”

How Can Cognitive Reserve Help Protect the Brain?

So what exactly is cognitive reserve and how can it help protect the brain? This is the brain’s ability to solve problems, take on challenges, be agile, resist injury due to aging, stroke or trauma.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, this concept was first talked about in the 1980s, where the researchers examined people’s brains after they died. Some of the individuals showed evidence of brain changes that were consistent with Alzheimer’s disease, however they didn’t show any signs of memory loss of other dementia symptoms while they were alive.

The scientists explain that they think those people managed to stay mentally sharp because of their cognitive reserve, which basically means they were able to compensate for the damage in their brains and still continue to function normally.

But, the way a person can develop or improve their “brain resilience” is still not completely clear. Alzheimer’s disease research and advocacy organization, Bright Focus Foundation, says that it seems to be a combination of the brain we were born with and how we do or do not use it.

Moreover, poor nutrition and trauma may also be a factor in lowering cognitive reserves, while those such as education, sleep, relationships, exercise, and staying curious may help build it.

As for Dr. Håberg, her hope is that these study findings might help lead to a better understanding of the mystery that comes along with cognitive reserve.

She explains, “We don’t know whether it’s being married or having children that protects against dementia, or if it’s a case of preselection, for example. This would mean that people who have a lower probability of developing dementia also have a higher probability of finding a partner and having children.”