Adults living by themselves may have a higher risk of dying from cancer, compared with those who live with others, a new study suggests.
The research, published Thursday in the journal Cancer, found that among 114,772 working-age adults who lived alone, 2.5% of them died of cancer during the study period. Meanwhile, among 358,876 adults who lived with others, 1.6%, a much smaller share; died of cancer in the study: Adults aged 18 to 64 were enrolled in the study and researchers found the strongest association was in those aged 45 to 64.
The researchers from the American Cancer Society analyzed data on more than 470,000 adults from the National Health Interview. Survey, taking a close look at how many of the adults lived alone versus with others and how many died of cancer.
“Our findings may suggest that stronger social support existing in communities from racial minority groups and people of lower socioeconomic status might have alleviated (缓解) the association between living alone and cancer death in this group, but we need more research on reasons for these differences,” Islami said.
Compared with adults living with others, adults living alone were more likely to have poor self-reported health status, activity limitation, serious psychological distress, severe obesity, smoke cigarettes, or consume alcohol, according to the study.
“More research is needed to identify the exact underlying mechanisms to explain the association between living alone and cancer death”, Kathrin Milbury, associate professor of behavioral science at The University of Texas, who was not involved in the new study, said in an email.
“The biological mechanisms of social isolation are not fully understood; however, humans are social beings, and being isolated creates a state of biological stress that is harmful to our health,” Milbury said. “The other mechanism I believe is related to being in a relationship with others, beyond benefiting just from their presence, but also receiving their care and support.”
8. How does the author justify the finding in paragraph 2?
A.By analyzing reasons. | B.By listing statistics. |
C.By giving examples. | D.By making comments. |
9. Which of the following will Islami probably agree with?
A.Stronger social support will not cause cancer death. |
B.People in their 50s are more likely to survive cancer. |
C.The underlying logic of the differences needs exploring. |
D.People from minority groups have stronger social support. |
10. Which problem is not mentioned about living alone?
A.Abusing alcohol. | B.Becoming inactive. |
C.Gaining weight. | D.Remaining violent. |
11. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A.Scientists have revealed the underlying mechanisms. |
B.Receiving others’ support helps relieve social isolation. |
C.Lonely people can receive more social care and support. |
D.More scientists have been attracted to the great research. |