(Credit:Benjamin Sklar/Associated Press)Whether you are single or divorced in midlife appears to influence your risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia as you age.
It’s long been known that social relationships can decrease the risk of developing dementia. In June, Harvard researchers reported how active socializing in old age could delay memory problems.
But most research on social relationships and dementia measures the social life of the very old. The newest study, presented at the 2008 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Chicago, focused on the effect relationships in midlife may have on long-term risk. It tracked 2,000 men and women in Finland beginning at the age of 50 and followed up with them 21 years later.
They found that people who were living with a spouse or a partner in midlife ran a 50 percent lower risk of developing dementia during their older years than people living alone. How long a person had been single and the reason they were single also affected risk. Living alone for your entire adult life doubled risk, but those who had been married and then divorced and remained single in midlife showed three times the risk.
Those at greatest risk of developing dementia were people who had lost their partner before middle age and then continued to live as a widow or widower. The study showed that these individuals had a six times greater chance of developing Alzheimer’s than those who were married.
“This suggests two influencing factors — social and intellectual stimulation and trauma,” said lead author Krister Håkansson, a psychology researcher at Växjö University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, in a statement. “In practice, it shows how important it is to put resources into helping people who have undergone a crisis.”
Dr. Håkansson said future research will focus on whether risk is influenced by the quality of the relationship or whether someone always intended to live a single life or not.
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From 1 to 25 of 168 Comments
The data could also be interpreted that isolated individuals who develop Alzheimer’s had preclinical cognitive and personality difficulties which damaged the capacity to form relationships. Requires a high order of personality skills to sustain a long marriage and raise children to successful adulthoods.
One of the best “Law and Order” episodes was the episode in which a husband with Alzheimer’s murdered his unfaithful spouse.
— MARK KLEIN, M.D.I think I’ll go demented if I have to share a house with a guy again.
— SusannaThe risk of dementia is DECREASED by being single or divorced in midlife? Please. Donnez-moi un break, as we say. What do Harvard researchers know about my — or anyone’s — marriage? When I was married to “Mr Terrific,” I was severely stressed and my behavior reflected it. Further, my blood pressure went out of control and I was at such high risk that my doctor told me not to drive, or even walk around the city on my own, because my risk of stroke was so great. Since divorcing Mr T, my physical symptoms have improved 110%. If that means I’m at risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s, so be it. But so far [I'm 72], my brain is functioning extremely well.
FROM TPP — Not sure if you meant to add the question mark. But to clarify, this data showed risk of dementia increased with divorce, being widowed or being single. Marriage was protective. But you make a good point and one the researchers want to investigate further — whether the quality of the relationship matters as well. Personally, I’m certainly a happier person post-divorce than I ever was during marriage, but divorce can also be isolating. You have to work a lot harder to maintain involved close relationships when you aren’t living with someone.
— SandyIn my family the 3 elderly great-aunts (not related to each other) who got Alzheimers were all widowed during WW2 and had lived decades alone after raising their one child each. I wonder if it is really to do with loneliness speeding decline and not to do with how your marriage ended. Making divorce the issue, and in the title, makes it sound like divorce was the key - ie they couldn’t keep a relationship.
Many women were widowed in the 1940s, it would be interesting to see the stats on the widows vs the 50 year marriages in this age group.
— JaneI had the same thought as Mark Klein (comment #1). That makes sense to me. I also agree with Susanna (comment #2).
— MeredithLooks like ultimate BS to me.
— annaLOL, Susanna!
Seriously though, the cause and effect are so important here and not addressed by this study. Correlation is not causation.
— SKVTara, this is an interesting study, but I also think there are deeper physiological and social factors at work.
Certainly social and intellectual stimulation can come from many sources, and amount may be a factor. But the trauma aspect is where I think that researchers should concentrate.
The biochemistry of trauma and stress is potent, and the effects of stress easily become chronic, influencing hormonal patterns and pH in tissues (not blood) with concommitant effects on increased needs for nutrition etc.
Mid-life is a difficult transition time, also, anyway and any large disturbance then is also more potent. The scales that test and quantify Stress show the tremendous physiological pressure produced on the organism by death, divorce, job change, job loss etc. and also, once one of these events has happened, then lack or disuse of social skills and / or life-skills (especially household and cooking-nutrition) really make for a horrid mix.
Finances also create additional Stress and impact the ability of a person to re-connect or create a social network, buy nutrititious quality food and jump-start an interest in Life.
After the initial traumatic event, the more one steps away from Life or remains disengaged can be counteracted somewhat by an interested, compassionate community at large. But, in the West, we are losing that sense of community, and thereby all of us are helping to perpetuate these stressful conditions long enough to create the environment for disease for a susceptible individual.
Together, we can turn this around. And, psychology for study is OK here whereas, constant use of it to “solve” the “problem”, is not. Plain and simple human compassion, networking and re/training in any simple life-skills (like cooking and nutrition) is how to engage the person-at-risk and lead them back to a balanced, fruitful Life.
Best to all — Em
— Emhttp://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
“Everyone knows someone who needs this information!” (TM)
oh Susanna……how well you put it……
— caterinawell, I certainly talked to myself more outloud when I was single. now that I am married, it’s more a silent conversation.
— Joewhat about when you’re dumped after 25 yrs (22 yrs ago), everyone you grew up with has moved away, because where you lived all your life became a foreign country — cuba norte — to mention horrendous traffic, cost of living, AND rental conversions to condos, countrywide, etc.
— amy kayeBeen married twice for 10 years each. Would not want to remarry. Have less stress and am happy and contented living with only my sweet Sadie a wonderful companion I got from the pound 13 years ago.
— Carol AnneVisits with my daughter and granddaughters are lovely and it’s okay when they go home.
In response to comment #1: “The data could also be interpreted that isolated individuals who develop Alzheimer’s had preclinical cognitive and personality difficulties which damaged the capacity to form relationships. Requires a high order of personality skills to sustain a long marriage and raise children to successful adulthoods.”
This statement doesn’t seem to take into account that those at greatest risk of dementia, according to this study, were those who lost their partners before middle age and continued to live as widows or widowers. That certainly makes it seem like trauma and isolation raised the risk of dementia/alzheimers rather than the other way around.
— HKI wonder if there is any difference in the data between couples that got divorced versus a relationship ending with the death of a spouse, and the statistical increase in liklihood of dementia (everything else remaining the same).
FROM TPP — I think the data do answer your question. The risk is three times higher after divorce, but six fold higher after the death of the spouse, suggesting that the trauma of the loss of a loved one takes a further toll on brain health.
— Richard AverettThis is to Mark Klein’s comment: My parents have been married for 55 years and, true, neither shows any sign of dementia. But their marriage also refutes your theory about high-order personality skills, whatever they may be. My father is a controlling, paranoid, demeaning man who treats my mother terribly. They raised seven children, all of whom on paper at least look like successful adults as they are all either doctors or lawyers. From my perspective, long-lasting relationships show an ability to endure even when the price is your self esteem. At least this is what it has been for my Mom.
FROM TPP — Very sad comment.
— TeresaWith all due respect, this study does not address far too many other factors involved in a supposed link between marital status and risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. Firstly, educational level, profession, intellectual stimulation, number of children, level of contact with those children, personality factors (sociability, etc), diet, exercise, genetics (predisposition toward or away from the various symptoms of mild cognitive decline, and worse).
My mother has been by herself since she divorced my father 20 years ago, and thank G-d, because she’s a professor, takes great care of herself, eats well, exercises regularly, speaks to her children regularly, and reads endlessly, keeping her mind active. Even if she’s not the most social person, and is of course somewhat lonely living half a country away from the kids, the quality of her intellectual and physical life are quite high.
Is there a guarantee against the disease with all of those factors? No such things exists, clearly. However, these are all clearly important. It just so happens that my Mom researches the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and so has some great insight into what’s happening in each with age. For those of you looking for an important protectant - take your folic acid and B vitamins! (But also exercise, eat a well-balanced diet, keep your mind active), and then we can hope for the best.
As for this study, it shows once more than epidemiology (of correlation and causation fame) is mostly a useless tool to see what factors actually contribute to diseases of a complex phenotype, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
— YGKWhat a lovely thing, that me and my honey are good for each other in yet another way!!
— KimTeresa (#15)–Your comment makes my point about the high order of personality skills required to sustain marriage and raise successful children.
Just a given children take sides about which parent is the supposed family villain. Successful parenting isn’t a popularity contest. Marriage in this culture is worse than it need be because of the romantic love predicate. Couples would do better when in addition to physical and emotional attraction money, improved social position, or other tangible benefits acrued by marrying.
Marriage generally is a dreadful experience made tolerable by the joys of raising children and the love of grandchildren.
— MARK KLEIN, M.D.“Marriage generally is a dreadful experience made tolerable by the joys of raising children and the love of grandchildren.”
Your poor, poor wife Dr Klein. Please buy her some flowers from me.
— JillyflowerDear YGK #16
Your Mom sounds like a great positive example. I certainly wish her well, and now speak to your mutual suggestion about nutrition, especially B Vitamins.
This just happens to be coinciding with my new series and it is for all people 50 and Beyond, not just for diabetics (although it’s more crucial for them).
You’ll get a lot of usable nutritional information in the 2 articles written so far, with more on senior nutrition to come.
http://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/new-food-pyramid-for-seniors-ages-50-70-and-beyond-part-2a-adding-b-vitamins-biotin-b5-folic-acid/
http://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/new-food-pyramid-for-seniors-ages-50-70-and-beyond-individualizing-food-options/
Please copy and paste the URLs if they are too long. I hope they help people avoid Alzheimer’s and lots more!
Best to all — Em
— EmDon’t fool yourself. This study is another perfect example of the endless quest to use statistical evidence trying to uncover profound truths. When it comes to medical and health questions yes some are irrefutable especially when the cause-effect phenomenon is direct and specific. The classic example being smokers and health questions.
But this study falls into the far more questionable arena in general and very specifically as others are printing out non-scientific judgments are built into this study. But there is a far more profound issue. Regarding the very concept of statistics applied to data fields and real life situations.
I believe it is well established were these researchers to have developed a random list of 100 factors to ask these individuals about from whether or not they eat Twinkies regularly to what is their favorite sport they would have uncovered a treasure trove of supposedly statistical correlations between many of theses “factors” and the onset of Alzheimer’s. But had they done that of course no one would take the study seriously. Which is my point.
— AH2Get a dog.
Getter, get a dog and some cats. Make sure they sleep on your bed.
They don’t cheat.
— lynneWell, rather than this guessy-guessy-wait and see
stuff, could we have some hints on what to look
for in yourself? Some danger signs as you go?
— NancyJust once I’d like to see researchers study lifelong single people and look at the BENEFITS of that lifestyle, because there are many.
We all don’t end up as doddering seniles collecting cats, you know.
The most compelling study into Alzheimer’s remains the “nun study” which completely focused on the lives of single women; it hinted that personality and social relationships have less of an effect on dementia in later life than do mysterious inner cognitive/language connections in the brain that scientists still don’t understand.
— JenFinns used to be famous for having extremely high rates of heart disease. Finns are popular with medical researchers precisely because their genetic inheritance is relatively uniform.
There’s a lot of evidence suggesting that Alzheimer’s disease is influenced by genes. A study of a genetically uniform population doesn’t say much unless the study is designed to control for the genes that have already been implicated in the disease.
Washington DC
— Ian Gilbert