A new scientific study revealed that divorce and living alone increase the risk of dementia. The Journal of Aging and Health indicates that scientists from the United States and Norway conducted a comprehensive scientific study, the results of which showed that the risk of developing dementia in old age is lower for people who married at an average age, according to Russia Today.
The magazine adds that the researchers analyzed the relationship between marital status at the age of 44-68 years and the possibility of developing dementia or a thought disorder at the age of 70 years, reports Al-Rai daily.
The results showed that the group of people who lived with their wives over 24 years were less likely to develop dementia. Divorced and single people are at greater risk of dementia.
But the researchers were unable to determine the cause. Some believe that married people live a healthy life, and this usually explains the difference in infection with different diseases.
In the new study of 150,000 people, researchers compared the rate of dementia with participants’ health factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, mental health problems and having close friends.
The researchers did not answer any health differences between married and single people that could explain the difference in dementia risk. However, they discovered that having children was an important factor, as it reduced the risk of dementia by 60 percent compared to singles.
Some scientists agree with the opinion that raising children stimulates the brain and forces a person to communicate with others and participate in various activities, which are not of interest to those who do not have children.
For example, in theory, “physical exercise” of neural connections could protect against the possibility of dementia.
The researchers are now studying the results in more depth. They added occupation and retirement age to their list of potential risk factors. In the future, they plan to consider genetic data that may explain the tendency to develop dementia in old age.