Older adults who have never married may face a higher risk of cancer, research suggests
Marriage linked to lower cancer risk, study finds
Dr. Namrata Vijayvergia, a medical oncologist, shares insights into the latest studies in health and lifestyle. He explains why marriage is associated with a lower risk of cancer because of better social support and healthy behaviors. Additionally, Dr. Vijayvergia highlights how gardening improves mental health through exercise, brain stimulation, and stress reduction, which benefits everyone regardless of marital status.
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Older adults who have never married are at a higher risk of developing cancer, according to a new study from the University of Miami.
A large study of more than four million Americans across 12 states found that this increased risk includes almost all major cancers. It is especially true for preventable cancers, such as types caused by smoking and infections.
Men who have never been married have been found to be 70% more likely to develop cancer than their married counterparts. For women, that gap was even wider, with never-married people facing an 85% higher risk.
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Previous research has linked marriage to better survival rates after diagnosis, but this is one of the first studies to show that marital status can be a major predictor of early cancer.
“These findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may be important markers of cancer risk at the population level,” said co-author Paulo Pinheiro, PhD, research professor of epidemiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in a statement.
Older adults who have never married are at a higher risk of developing cancer, according to a new study from the University of Miami. (Getty Images)
Between 2015 and 2022, the team examined cancer cases diagnosed at age 30 or older and compared the rates of various cancers with the participants’ marital status. Then they break the data down by sex and race and adjust for age.
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Older men who had never married had five times the rate of rectal cancer compared to married men, the study found.
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Older women who never married had three times the rate of cervical cancer compared to women who were married or married.
“It’s a clear and powerful signal that some people are at greater risk,” said Frank Penedo, PhD, director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute at the University of Miami, in a release.
For women, being married (and generally, by extension, having children) was associated with lower risks of ovarian and endometrial cancer. (Stock)
For women, being married (and generally, by extension, having children) was associated with lower risks of ovarian and endometrial cancer, likely due to hormonal and biological factors associated with pregnancy, according to the researchers.
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Experts stressed that this finding does not mean that marriage alone can prevent cancer.
“It means that if you’re single, you should pay more attention to your cancer risk factors, get any screenings you may need, and stay up-to-date on your health,” Penedo said.
Experts stressed that this finding does not mean that marriage alone can prevent cancer. (Stock)
The researchers also hypothesized that people who smoke less, drink less and take better care of themselves may be more likely to marry, meaning other factors may contribute to the findings.
More research is needed to confirm the effect, they noted.
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The study was published in the journal Cancer Research Communications.
