Key points from article :
74,000 US nurses studied between 1996 to 2012.
Those who attended religious services more than once a week had a 33% lower relative risk of dying over study period.
Difference explained by:
– social support 23%
– smoking 22%
– optimism 9%
The study was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine.
COMMENT: no surprise given other recent research highlighting the importance of social groups for older people
