Being married could help stave off dementia, a new study has suggested.

一项最新研究表明，结婚有助于延缓痴呆症的发生。

Levels of social interaction could explain the finding, experts have said, after the research showed that people who are single or widowed are more likely to develop the disease.

在有研究表明单身或丧偶的人更容易患上这种疾病之后，专家们称，社会互动的水平可以解释这一发现。

Experts conducted an analysis of 15 studies which held data on dementia and marital¹ status involving more than 800,000 people from Europe, North and South America, and Asia.

专家们对15项研究进行了分析，这些研究覆盖到来自欧洲、北美、南美以及亚洲的80多万人痴呆症和婚姻状况的数据。

Their study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry², concluded that lifelong singletons have a 42% elevated risk of dementia compared with married couples.

他们的研究发表在《神经病学、神经外科与精神病学杂志》上，得出的结论是，终生单身未婚者患上痴呆症的几率要比已婚人士高出42%。

Those who have been widowed had a 20% increased risk compared with married people, they found, but no elevated risk was found among divorcees compared with those who were still married.

他们发现，与伴侣安好的人相比，那些丧偶的人患病的风险要高20%，不过离婚人士的患病风险则没有增加

The researchers, led by experts from University College London, said previous research has shown that married people may adopt healthier lifestyles. They may also be more likely to be socially engaged than singletons.

由英国伦敦大学学院的专家带头的研究人员称，先前的研究表明已婚人士可能会采取更加健康的生活方式。与单身人士相比，他们更可能参与社交活动。

Commenting on the study, Dr. Laura Phipps of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "There is compelling research showing married people generally live longer and enjoy better health, with many different factors likely to be contributing to that link. People who are married tend to be financially better off, a factor that is closely interwoven with many aspects of our health."

在对这项研究发表评论时，英国阿尔茨海默氏症研究中心的劳拉·菲普斯博士称：“有一项令人信服的研究表明，已婚人士通常寿命更长，健康状况更好，许多不同的因素可能会促成这一联系。已婚人士的经济状况往往比较好，这与我们健康的方方面面都密切相关。”

"Spouses³ may help to encourage healthy habits, look out for their partner's health and provide important social support."

“同时，配偶也会帮助并鼓励保持健康的习惯，注意对方的健康状况，并在社交方面给予重要的促进。”