Married people would stay alive longer than others

Is marriage an element favoring the lifespan? This is what seems to be demonstrated by scientists who have studied a large cohort, via their medical records. Their results are published in the journal Jama Network Open.

More than half a million files studied

The researchers studied the case of people aged around fifty, living in Asia, for fifteen years. The team looked at data from 623,140 people, aged 54 on average, from the Asia Cohort Consortium – a biobank containing data on the health of one million people on the continent, as well as their marital status. A large majority of participants, 86.4% were married. A total of 123,264 deaths were recorded during the fifteen-year study. Most were caused by cancer (41,362), cerebrovascular disease (14,563) and respiratory disease (13,583).

Better survival and less disease

In their findings, the scientists find that being married was associated with an overall risk of death from all causes 15% lower than that of being single or divorced.

The researchers also note a lower risk, estimated at 20%, of accidents, injuries or heart problems. Men have fewer risky behaviors (drinking, involvement in accidents, etc.). It is also men, note the researchers, who are the main beneficiaries of the protection that being married would bring, by showing sharp declines in mortality, in particular compared to women, who are much less concerned.

According to the authors of this study, this difference could be put down to the unequal distribution of household tasks and the management of children, which counteract the positive effects of marriage.

A “protective” effect of marriage?

The work of scientists goes further. Unlike married people, unmarried people are more likely to die of heart disease and more likely to die prematurely (15% increased risk) from any cause.

The authors of this study observe a “protective” effect of marriage, which would be due to the fact that the partners encourage their spouse to consult a doctor and to adhere to treatment, in the event of a health problem. For the other aspects, it is the better financial situation and healthier lifestyles in marriage that would contribute to their better results.

Less well-off singles

The single people in the study, an entity that includes actual single people as well as people who are separated but still married, divorcees and widows, have in comparison poorer health outcomes. They are more likely (+12%) to die of cerebrovascular disease – which includes strokes and aneurysms – than unmarried people. The risks of death from other causes (heart disease, accident, injury, cancer, etc.) are all increased compared to married people.

However, the researchers remain cautious in their conclusions, recalling that correlation does not mean causation, and that the results obtained are attributable to the fact of living as a couple, simply, without marriage having anything to do with it.