A new study found marriage may be the true relationship with benefits after examining cancer rates over the better part of a decade.
While cultural extremists have advanced ideas of “free love” with ever-increasing “body counts,” research conducted through the University of Miami suggests such lifestyles may come at a high cost when compared to traditionalists. According to a study published this month, those who have never been married have been diagnosed with cancer at considerably higher rates than those who’ve tied the knot.
“Marriage as a protective factor in cancer risk has been largely ignored so far, and this is the first study,” said research professor of epidemiology Paulo Pinheiro of the university’s Miller School of Medicine, the study’s co-author. “With the prevalence of marriage decreasing in the U.S., this is something that should be further studied.”
According to the study that looked at more than 4 million cases of cancer from 12 states between 2015 and 2022, unmarried men were found to have a 70% greater chance of a cancer diagnosis than their married peers. Likewise, the same comparison of marital status found an 85% higher rate of cancer among unwed women.
“These findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may serve as important markers of cancer risk at the population level,” contended Pinheiro.
In deciding the parameters of the study, the researchers said they began in 2015 because of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges and its impact on the relationship status of homosexual couples.
The study made a note of exposure risks for factors like human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in relation to anal and cervical cancer, as men who never married were said to develop the former at a rate five times higher, while women who never married had triple the rate of cervical cancer.
“It’s a clear and powerful signal that some individuals are at a greater risk,” said Frank Penedo, director of the university’s Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute. “It means that if you’re not married, you should be paying extra attention to cancer risk factors, getting any screenings you may need, and staying up to date on healthcare.”
“For prevention efforts, our findings point to the importance of targeting cancer risk awareness and prevention strategies with attention to marital status,” he went on as the study left out those counted among the unwed in “committed partnerships,” given the group’s relatively small size in relation to the data.
As for whether or not jumping the broom was key in keeping malignant cancer rates down, the study suggested that the marriage itself may be less of a factor than the tendency for people “who smoke less, drink less, take better care of themselves and are more socially integrated” to be more likely to get married.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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