Marriage linked to lower risk of cancer diagnosis, study says
· Toronto Sun
Getting hitched can lower your risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
A new U.S. study, published Wednesday in Cancer Research Communications , says social factors can lower health risks among people who are or were once married when compared to those who lead a single life.
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“These findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may serve as important markers of cancer risk at the population level,” said Paulo Pinheiro , Ph.D., a professor of cancer epidemiology at the University of Miami Health System , who co-authored the study.
The large, population-based study analyzed data of more than 100 million people across 12 states that included demographic and cancer data from more than four million cancer cases.
That data, collected between 2015 and 2022, looked at cancer cases for people 30 years and older and compared the rates by marital status and gender.
Of all the people in the study, one-fifth were never married.
Higher rates among people who never married
Men who never tied the knot had a 68% higher cancer rate than those who were married, divorced or widowed, while women had a 83% higher incidence.
“These findings highlight marital status as a prominent and consistent social stratifier of cancer incidence in the contemporary United States,” the study’s authors concluded. “Despite the limitations, this study offers a timely and robust contribution to understanding cancer disparities.”
When researchers zeroed in on race and ethnicity, Black men appeared to benefit most from marriage. That is due to Black women being more vocal in relationships.
“They provide support and they encourage a Black man to seek earlier treatment and evaluation,” Dr. Jarrod A. Carrol, a geriatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, told CNN .
“As a result of the Black woman being like the hub of support for the entire family, I think it speaks to how they are intrinsically invested in the care of their spouse.”
In addition, married Black men had lower cancer rates than married white men.
Infections, smoking and alcohol associated with cancer
The biggest associations between whether a person was married or not and cancer were related to infections, smoking and alcohol. For women in particular, not bearing a child led to higher risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer.
“Integrating marital status into cancer surveillance and risk stratification frameworks may enhance identification of at-risk populations and inform more targeted prevention strategies,” researchers said.
However, the study’s authors conceded there were limitations to their research as people who don’t smoke, drink less, and generally take care of themselves may also be more likely to get married.
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