Marriage could help reduce risk of dementia[*], study suggests

[*]dementia: an illness that affects the brain and memory, and makes you gradually lose the ability to think and behave normally 痴呆

Compared with married couples, single people have a 42% elevated risk of dementia, and those who have been widowed a 20% increase, researchers find.

Being married could help stave off[1] dementia, a new study has suggested.

[1]stave off: If you stave off something bad, or if you stave it off, you succeed in stopping it from happening for a while. 延缓

...a cost-saving plan intended to stave off bankruptcy. 
...一个旨在避免破产的成本节约计划。

We'll never be able to stop beach erosion, we can only stave it off. 
我们永远都不能阻止海滩被侵蚀，我们只能暂缓其发生。

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.

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

Their study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, concluded that lifelong singletons[单身人士] have a 42% elevated risk of dementia compared with married couples.

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.

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.

Meanwhile, the effect observed in people who have been widowed could be due to stress that comes with bereavement[丧亲/友之痛], they added. Another explanation could be that developing dementia could be related to other underlying cognitive or personality traits.

Commenting on the study, Dr Laura Phipps of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "There is compelling[2] 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."

[2]compelling

1) A compelling argument or reason is one that convinces you that something is true or that something should be done. 令人信服的

Factual and forensic evidence makes a suicide verdict the most compelling answer to the mystery of his death. 
事实和法庭证据使自杀的判定成为对他死亡之谜最令人信服的解答。

2) If you describe something such as a film or book, or someone's appearance, ascompelling, you mean you want to keep looking at it or reading it because you find it so interesting. 引人入胜的

...a frighteningly violent yet compelling film. 
...一部充满恐怖暴力但却引人入胜的电影。

"Spouses[配偶] 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[恢复力；适应力] that allows people to function for longer with a disease like Alzheimer's[阿尔茨海默病] before showing symptoms.

"Staying physically, 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."

来源：《卫报》

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