It is proven: If we don’t take measures to counteract it, love gets fat. Various investigations have shown that maintaining a long-term relationship is directly related to progressive weight gain.
Although some studies have found that marriage is associated with a healthier life and lower mortality, this research found that body mass index is often highly correlated in partners. That is, if your partner gains weight, you have an above-average probability of you also acquiring these conditions.
Now, a new investigation has found the probable causes why people who maintain a relationship and live together for a long period of time, become overweight or suffer from obesity.
The researchers analyzed data from 7,000 adolescent-age people in 1996. They then repeated the analysis on the same people in 2001-2002. In this same period, they analyzed about 1,200 couples who were dating, cohabiting, or married.
They discovered that the risk of obesity increases when single people, or who go out without living together, begin to cohabit with their partner or get married. The risk was higher for married people.
The reasons, according to the researchers, are that couples begin to share their customs. As a result, are more vulnerable to acquiring sedentary behaviors and developing obesity.
The results also revealed that those are at greater risk suffering from obesity and acquiring sedentary habits are people who live together for more than two years. In contrast, those who live with a partner for shorter periods are less likely to gain weight.
It is worth mentioning that the study was carried out only on young heterosexual couples and none had been together for more than five years, so they are not definitive results that we can apply to everyone. However, they do offer useful information to consider when considering ways to maintain a healthier married life.
What do you think of the results of this study? Tell us!
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