Men who marry at the age of 25 or older have better bone quality, a latest study by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) states.
The researchers examined data collected from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. This study analyzed people aged between 25 and 75 from 1995 to 1996. As a part of the study, the participants were interviewed again in MIDUS II from 2004 to 2005. The researchers concentrated on hip and bone-density measurements that were recorded by standard bone-density scanners. A total of 294 men and 338 women participated in the study.
"There is very little known about the influence of social factors-other than socioeconomic factors-on bone health," Dr Carolyn Crandall, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA ,stated in a news release. "Good health depends not only on good health behaviors, such as maintaining a healthy diet and not smoking, but also on other social aspects of life, such as marital life stories and quality of relationships."
The results showed that men who married at the age of 25 or older had better bone health. The study also found that men in stable, marriage-like relationships had better bone quality than divorced men and men who have never been married.
Researchers also found that this association was apparent in the spine but not the hip, most probably due to differences in bone composition of the two, the researchers said.
"Very early marriage was detrimental in men, likely because of the stresses of having to provide for a family," said study co-author Dr. Arun Karlamangla, a professor of medicine in the geriatrics division at the Geffen School. "Specifically, never marrying, and experiencing a divorce, widowhood, or separation are associated with poor bone health in men, whereas poor marital quality is associated with poor bone health in women."
The researchers, however, were unable to find a direct relationship between women's marital status and bone health. But they found that women with supportive partners had better bone health.
The study, 'Marital histories, marital support, and bone density: findings from the Midlife in the United States Study,' was published in Osteoporosis International.
