结婚有助于晚年身体健康

Marriage will help you stay healthy in old age

Married life is one of the keys to a healthy old age – because the biological clock ticks more slowly in couples.

A study found that telomeres, which protect the body’s chromosomes and the DNA they contain, tend to be bigger among couples – particularly those who are financially secure.

This limits damage to cells, meaning being married probably makes people less prone to cancer and heart disease.

The Taiwanese study, published in the journal Age And Ageing, examined 300 adults aged 65 to 74. The authors said their study found that unmarried, widowed or single older adults had shorter telomeres while couples and older adults with higher incomes were associated with longer telomeres.

Short telomeres have been linked to the incidence of cancer, particularly among white and Asian people.

Norman Wells of the Family Education Trust said: ‘Research continues to uncover the value of the lifelong union of a man and a woman.

Marriage is associated with better health, lower rates of injury, illness and disability, and longer life expectancy.’

The study by two Taiwanese universities, I-Shou University and Kaohsiung Medical University, examined around 300 adults aged between 65 and 74, taking blood samples along with details of their marital status, wealth, lifestyle and physical and mental health.

It concluded: 'The state of being married was the only significant predictor of telomere length when all other factors were not adjusted.'

After filtering out the other elements, the authors added: 'Older adults with higher income [were] found to be significantly associated with longer telomere length compared with those with lower income.

'The relationship between income and telomere is not accounted for by physical diseases, mental state and neighbourhood experience.

'To a lesser extent, our study also found that unmarried, widowed, or single older adults had shorter telomeres.'

And they warned: 'Unmarried older adults or those with lower income may be experiencing accelerated cellular ageing.'

Short telomeres have been linked to the incidence of a range of cancers including bladder, lung and stomach, particularly among Caucasian and Asian people.

US research has also shown that, among the over-60s, they leave people three times more likely to die from heart disease and eight times more likely from an infectious disease.

Health psychologist Dr Cynthia McVey of Glasgow Caledonian University said: 'These are fascinating results.

'The fact that telomere length is predicted by both marriage and high income suggests that this is about the effect of stress in people’s lives.

'Having a sense of being loved, respected and cared for by another person over a significant length of time can only be beneficial to someone’s wellbeing.

'In this day and age when marriage is not as fashionable as it was and divorce rates are high, there can be a tendency in society to look upon commitment as a burden.

'So it is refreshing to see the emphasis back on the positive side of marriage.”

Dr McVey added: 'It would be interesting to find out how specifically this research translates into British culture; is it marriage which is linked to longer telomeres or simply a long-lasting relationship?

'It may be that the public commitment that a marriage represents brings its own unique sense of security and certainty which creates a low-stress environment for those in the relationship.'

结婚有助于晚年健康因为稳定的婚姻生活压力少。

老年生活健康的关键因素之一，因为夫妻生物钟节奏更慢一些。

一项研究发现，端粒保护人体的染色体和DNA，往往对夫妻的保护作用更大，尤其是那些经济条件有良好保障的夫妻。

这样就限制了对细胞的损害，结婚会使人们不易患癌症和心脏病。

台湾的这项研究发表在《年龄和老化》杂志上，调查了300名年龄在65岁至74岁的老年人。作者说他们的研究发现未婚、丧偶、单身老年人的端粒较短，而夫妻和高收入老年人的端粒长度较长。

短端粒与癌症发生率存在联系，尤其是白人和亚洲人。

家庭教育信托的诺曼·威尔斯说：继续进行研究来揭示男人和女人终身相伴的价值所在：身体更加健康、受伤、疾病和残疾比例低、寿命更长这些都与婚姻生活有关。

这项研究是由台湾义守大学和高雄医科大学这两所大学共同研究的，检查约300名65岁和74岁之间的老年人，采血样并了解他们的婚姻状况、财富状况、生活状况和身心健康这些方面的详细情况。

结论总结：其中只有结婚是端粒长度较长的唯一重要预测因素而其他一切因素都不起作用。

过滤其他元素后作者补充说：发现收入较高的老年人明显比收入较低的老年人的端粒长一些。

收入和端粒之间的关系不包括身体疾病、精神状态和邻里关系这些因素。

我们的研究某种程度上还发现未婚、丧偶、单身老年人端粒较短。

他们警告说：未婚或低收入加速细胞老化。

端粒短与一系列癌症发病率有关，包括膀胱癌、肺癌和胃癌，尤其是白种人和亚洲人的发病率更高。

我们的研究也表明60岁以上的老人死于心脏病的可能性高达三倍、传染病高达八倍。

威格拉斯哥喀里多尼亚大学的健康心理学博士辛西娅·麦克威说：这些研究结果都是很好的研究结果。

事实上，通过婚姻和高收入这两个因素来预测端粒长度表明这是关于人们生活中的压力影响。

只有长期拥有被另一个人深爱着、尊敬着、照顾着的感觉才能有益健康。

现如今婚姻不再像过去那样时尚了，离婚率高，有一种把婚姻当作负担的社会趋势。

因此，重点是看到了婚姻回到了积极影响这一面，这又让人重新振作精神。

麦克威博士补充说：找出此项研究如何具体转化成英国文化这点很有意思，婚姻与端粒较长有关还是单单只是与终身伴侣关系有关？

也许婚姻带来了安全感和确定性，婚姻伴侣生活环境中压力小。

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