A new study suggests that being married can be a powerful medicine in the fight against. Researchers at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California found there might be a connection between a wedding ring and a higher survival rate.
According to the report, single men diagnosed with cancer had a death rate 27 percent greater than married male patients. Meanwhile, the survival rate for single female patients was 19 percent lower than their married counterparts.
Leading research scientist Scarlett Lin Gomez said the difference were actually “quite notable,” comparable to some of the more clinical factors often associated with cancer prognosis, like types of treatment or stages of the disease.
Researchers also found that the financial advantages of marriage have almost nothing to do with health benefits, which rely solely on the emotional bonds of matrimony. Gomez said the patterns could not be fully explained by married patients having greater economic resources.
While factors like living in a higher socioeconomic status neighborhood, or having health insurance, did play a role, albeit a small one, they could not explain the greater survival rate among the married.
The study noted that the connection between marital status and cancer prognosis did not prove a cause-and-effect link.
Studies conducted over the past 10 to 15 years have found similar benefits for married cancer patients, but the reduced death rate was always attributed to the love and support a patient receives from their spouse.
But at the same time, there’s better access to insurance and a greater combined income available for people who are married. So Gomez’s team set out to see if it’s love or money that makes the married patient healthier and improves their survival chances.
For the study, researchers looked at the health records of almost 800,000 adults in California, all of whom had been diagnosed with invasive cancer between 2000 and 2009. Their medical outcome was followed through 2012.
The findings, featured in the journal Cancer, suggested that a higher financial status had little impact on a patient’s chance of beating cancer. Instead, the support and care of a spouse played a significant role in reducing stress and improve the outcome overall.
A husband or a wife can provide nourishing meals, drive you to doctor’s appointments, and make sure you take your medicine. It also helped to have someone to counsel you through the stress of cancer treatment, someone who’s there to listen to you.
Image Source: The Guardian
Deborah Campbell
