Marital status may protect against Alzheimer's

July 3, 2009 Researchers found people who are married or have a partner in middle age are at half the risk of developing dementia as those who live alone.

Getting divorced and becoming widowed in mid-life raises the risk three-fold.

The study by Scandinavian researchers is the first to focus on marital status and the risk of dementia.

An American study last year found significant links between feelings of loneliness and the chances of suffering Alzheimer's.