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

最新一项研究表明，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.

专家们表示，社会互动的水平可以解释这一研究发现，研究表明单身或丧偶的人更容易患上这种疾病。

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，这些研究涉及来自欧洲、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学、神经外科和精神病学的期刊上，研究得出的结论是与已婚的夫妇相比，终身单身的人患痴呆症的风险增加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，和已婚人士相比，那些丧偶的人患病风险增加20%，但是离婚人士的患病风险没有增加。

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领导的研究人员称，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，已婚人士更可能参与社交活动。

Meanwhile, the effect observed in people who have been widowed could be due to stress that comes with bereavement³, they added. Another explanation could be that developing dementia could be related to other underlying⁴ cognitive⁵ or personality traits.

同时，他们补充道，在丧偶的人身上观察到的影响可能是由于丧偶之痛带来的压力。另一种解释可能是发展为痴呆症可能与其他潜在的认知或人格特征有关。

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，英国研究阿尔茨海默症的Laura Phipps博士说:“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，这一因素与我们健康的诸多方面息息相关。”

“Spouses⁶ may help to encourage healthy habits, look out for their partner’s health and provide important social support. Research suggests that social interaction can help to build cognitive reserve – a mental resilience that allows people to function for longer with a disease like Alzheimer’s before showing symptoms.

“配偶可能有助于鼓励培养健康的习惯，注意伴侣的健康状况，并提供重要的社会支持。研究表明，社会互动有助于建立认知储备—一种心理上的弹性，使人在出现病症之前，身体能够在患病（如：阿尔兹海默症）的情况下正常运转更长时间。”

“Staying physically⁷, mentally, and socially active are all important aspects of a healthy lifestyle and these are things everyone, regardless of their marital status, can work towards.”

“保持身体、精神和社交活动积极都是健康生活方式的重要方面，每个人都可以朝着这个方向努力，无论他们的婚姻状况如何。”