UCLA(Los Angeles) just released the results of a study that found that men who married before the age of 25 had lower bone strength than those who married later. However, they also found that men in stable marriages or committed relationships who had never been divorced or ended a long-term committed relationship had stronger bones than single men or those who had a history of divorce or a serious break-up. The conclusion being that a happy and stable marriage after age 25 leads to strong, healthy bones and the single life and/or divorce or a painful break-up in a guy’s past leads to loss of bone strength.
These findings did not show similar links between bone health and marriage or a stable relationship in women- however those with supportive and appreciative partners did show better bone health. So it seems for women that the quality of their relationships is very important to their health, which will not be too surprising to women.
Data came from participants between the ages of 25 and 75 who were interviewed once in 1995 then reinterviewed after a ten year span. Hip and spine bone density measurements taken from scans done at UCLA, Georgetown University and The University of Wisconsin-Madison were used to make the examination between bone health and marriage/commitment in 294 men and 338 women from around the country.
It’s pretty obvious from this study that stress affects us right down to our bones. Remember to consider that when it comes time to make the most important choice of your life- who you will marry, and when.
