Unmarried people had lower dementia risk, new study finds
Unmarried older adults in the U.S. were less likely to develop dementia than those who were married, according to a new study of 24,000 Americans.
Why it matters: The finding seems to contradict the long-held belief that marriage is associated with better cognitive health and longevity.
What they found:"Widowed, divorced, and never-married older adults had a lower dementia risk, compared to their married counterparts," the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center researchers say, based on a study of adults aged 50+, who were tracked for up to 18 years.
Yes, but: The study relied on volunteers — mostly white and married — so the findings may not reflect the broader U.S. population.
Context: Previous research has linked marriage to positive health outcomes, including:
What they're saying:"This finding can change the way we understand the connection between marital status and risk of dementia," said study co-author Selin Karakose of Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee, to MedPage Today.
She noted that marriage — which has benefits — can also come with stress, smaller social circles and caregiving burdens that may affect brain health.
Between the lines: The idea that unmarried individuals may be diagnosed later, simply because they don't have a spouse encouraging them to seek care, could potentially skew the findings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
31 minutes ago
- The Hill
Most voters in favor of Trump's ‘most favored nation' drug price policy: survey
A new survey found that a majority of voters are in favor lawmakers and candidates who they believe will take on Big Pharma price-gouging with most saying they're in favor of President Trump's 'most favored nation' policy. In a survey commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance and conducted by National Research Inc., 85 percent of voters said prescription medications have gotten more expensive and nearly the same percentage of participants said pharmaceutical companies carried the most blame for the high cost. When asked about their voting choices, 86 percent said they were more likely to support a candidate who 'wants to force Big Pharma to lower prescription medication costs for American consumers' while 78 percent said they were less likely to support a candidate who accepted donations from Big Pharma. Overall, 90 percent of participants agreed with this statement: 'Congressional candidates should stop taking large political donations from Big Pharma because it is a conflict of interest.' During the 2024 election cycle, pharmaceutical and health product political action committees donated over $16 million to campaigns. 'Americans are speaking loudly and clearly, so it's important for Congress to listen: the time to join President Trump in lowering prescription drug costs is NOW. From coast to coast, the American people are suffering from high prescription costs, and they rightly blame Big Pharma. Simply stated, it's time for Big Pharma to put America first…not last,' PRA spokesman and former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) said in a statement. 'No doubt those currently serving on Capitol Hill are hearing the same message from their constituents. With the 2026 primary season ahead, those in the House and Senate need to take action. Voters are watching,' he added. The survey highlighted Trump's executive order that enacted 'most favored nation' drug pricing as an example of efforts to reduce prescription drug costs. The executive order directs the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to take 'all appropriate action' against 'unreasonable and discriminatory' policies in foreign countries that suppress drug prices abroad. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will set 'clear targets' for prescription drug and pharmaceutical price reductions within 30 days per the order. When asked about how they felt regarding the 'most favored nation' policy, 78 percent said they supported the policy, which included 61 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independent voters and 96 percent of Republicans. Republican participants were asked to pick between Trump; Kennedy and his 'make American health again' agenda; or Congress when it came to whom they trusted to 'force Big Pharma to lower their costs for prescription medicine.' Trump received the highest vote of confidence with 46 percent of GOP voters picking him, 14 percent picked Kennedy and only two percent picked Congress. Other changes that garnered support in the survey were restrictions on direct-to-consumer prescription medication ads and 78 percent agreed it was a conflict of interest for news networks to run such ads as they're covering health care issues. The survey was conducted from May 28 to June 1 and included 1,000 registered voters. The results have a margin or error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence interval. Among participants, 35 percent were Republican, 33 percent were Democrat and 32 percent were independent.
Newsweek
36 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Nearly 700,000 Americans Lose Health Care Coverage in 2025
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Almost 700,000 Americans lost Medicaid coverage in one month at the start of this year, according to new enrollment data compiled by KFF. The significant drop in Medicaid enrollment in January from December 2024 is part of a long-term trend amid the continuation of the federal program's "unwinding" process, which began after pandemic-era protections ended. Enrollment was still higher in January than it was in February 2020. Why It Matters The data highlights the continued ripple effects of the Medicaid policy shift, with millions more likely to be affected in the months ahead—particularly low-income families, children, and older adults who rely on Medicaid for basic care access. Health care experts and advocates warn that the unwinding process is opening large gaps in the U.S. health care system, with many falling through the cracks due to administrative barriers or lack of communication, not because they no longer qualify. File photo: people block a street during a protest over proposed cuts to Medicaid funding. File photo: people block a street during a protest over proposed cuts to Medicaid funding. Rick Bowmer/AP What to Know Data collected by KFF shows that from December 2024 to January 2025, Medicaid enrollment dropped by 669,938, bringing the total number of Americans enrolled in Medicaid to around 71.2 million. While this number remains high, it reflects a steady monthly decline that began in 2023 when states resumed redeterminations, where they checked whether enrollees were still eligible for benefits. The process had been paused during the COVID-19 public health emergency alongside an expansion to the federal protection available for vulnerable Americans with limited income and resources. When those protections were lifted following the pandemic, millions faced the risk of being disenrolled—not just due to income changes, but because of paperwork errors, missed deadlines, or outdated contact information. According to KFF's data, more than 16 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid since the unwinding began in the spring of 2023. An April 2024 survey by KFF of 1,227 U.S. adults who had Medicaid coverage in prior to April 1, 2023, found that 28 percent of former enrolees found other forms of health coverage, while 47 percent were eventually re-enrolled to Medicaid. Around a quarter of enrolees reported as remaining uninsured. States like Montana, Tennessee and Colorado have seen some of the largest decreases in enrollment, with levels in January 2025 dropping below pre-pandemic levels. What People Are Saying William Schpero, assistant professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, told Newsweek: "This is evidence that we are likely still seeing the effects of the end of the continuous coverage provisions in place during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency that paused redeterminations of Medicaid eligibility. During the 'unwinding' of continuous coverage through September 2024, close to 70 percent of those who lost coverage were disenrolled for purely procedural reasons—for example, they missed a required renewal form because of a change in address. Many of these people likely remained eligible for Medicaid." He added: "It would be particularly concerning if procedural terminations continue to underlie the latest reported decreases in Medicaid enrollment. It suggests that states can be doing more to prevent avoidable losses of coverage. Research has estimated that a large portion of individuals who have lost Medicaid in recent months have become uninsured or experienced gaps in coverage. We have consistent evidence that loss of Medicaid coverage interrupts access to care — without coverage, people forgo visiting the doctor or taking their prescribed medications due to cost. Ultimately this will hurt health outcomes." Kathleen Adams, professor of health policy and management at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, Georgia, told Newsweek: "We are always concerned with the loss of insurance coverage, especially among the lower income and vulnerable groups traditionally served by Medicaid. If these individuals are not able to find a source of other coverage such as Employer Sponsored Insurance (ESI) or through the subsidized exchanges, they will have lower access to needed health care, face higher costs if they obtain care and could impose costs on the health care system as they are forced to seek care in ERs or other publicly subsidized sources of care." She added: "The unwinding has taken place over a year and as the report notes, Medicaid enrollment is still higher now than in the pre-pandemic period. It is also important to note the differences seen across states. Some states that had not expanded Medicaid under the ACA did so recently and many of them show the largest increases in enrollment from their pre-pandemic levels. Currently, the concerns with Medicaid enrollment are with the administration's proposed changes to Medicaid eligibility which some states are already seeking to implement." What's Next Unless policies change, experts project that millions more Americans may lose health coverage through 2025, not just due to changes in eligibility requirements, but also because of bureaucratic hurdles.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
CDC firings: Former director, fired vaccine panelist on RFK Jr's changes
(NewsNation) — While Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he wanted to restore public trust by firing the entire vaccine advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one person he fired says Kennedy did the opposite in the academic community. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices members was made up of medical and health professionals who made recommendations on the safety and use of vaccines. One of the 17 panelists fired is Dr. Noel Brewer, who joined NewsNation's 'CUOMO' on Tuesday night. 'My concern is that we've taken 60 years of efforts to build trust among health care providers in the recommendations of the advisory committee through CDC, and that trust just evaporated overnight,' Brewer said. 'It is going to be hard to get that back.' The committee was set to meet in two weeks to discuss COVID-19 and other vaccines. Judge determined OPM broke law with DOGE access to data 'I don't think most Americans even care that much about it. And now that there's all this news and people like me out from our ivory towers, it's generating interest,' Brewer said. 'But I don't think that the impact here is going to be primarily among the general public.' Dr. Robert Redfield was CDC director under the first Trump administration, and he said the public lost trust in the power of vaccines. 'I believe vaccines are the most important gift of science to modern medicine. When I was CDC director, I was very disturbed that over half of the population didn't get the flu vaccine,' he said. 'Then, the COVID pandemic came, and I have to say, although I have a lot of respect for Noel and the other people on the committee, the reality is the guidance that came out of the ACIP for COVID vaccines, I think in general, was ill-advised.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
