TYING the knot may help to stave off dementia.
A new study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, found that lifelong single people and widowers were at heightened risk of developing the condition.
Findings were based on data from 15 studies which were published prior to the end of 2016.
The studies looked at the potential impacts of marital status on dementia risk and involved more than 800,000 participants.
Analysis of the material showed lifelong single people were 42 per cent more likely to develop dementia compared to people who were married.
The researchers suggest part of the increased risk factor might be due to lower levels of physical health among lifelong single people.
The most recent studies analysed indicated a risk of 24 per cent, suggesting risk factors may have lessened over time.
Widowed people were found to be 20 per cent more likely to develop dementia than married people.
No similar associations were found in those who had divorced partners, although researchers pointed out fewer numbers of divorcees were included in the previous studies.
Researchers stressed the findings were based on observational studies and no clear conclusions about cause and effect could be drawn.
