Running to the chapel? A new study may make you want to.
People with Type-2 diabetes are 50% less likely to be overweight when they’re living with a partner compared to Type-2 diabetics who are unmarried, according to a study presented this month at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Munich, Germany.
In the study, which was led by Yoshinobu Kondo, M.D., Ph.D., at Japan’s Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine and Chigaski Municipal Hospital, researchers split 270 people with Type-2 diabetes into two groups—180 people who were living with their spouses, and 90 single people—and measured their body mass index (BMI) and body fat content. Participants averaged about 65 years old.
Their findings: Married participants had a lower BMI on average (24.5 vs. 26.5), slightly better blood sugar control, and, after adjusting for age and gender, were less likely to be overweight. The advantage was especially noticeable in married men, who also had a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, a catchall term for problems associated with cardiovascular disease and Type-2 diabetes.
The upshot? While the study findings are still preliminary, it does suggest that the single life can ultimately put guys at risk for obesity and other health issues, especially if you’re already struggling with issues like Type-2 diabetes. And if you’re a young guy who isn’t worried about diabetes yet, just keep one thing in mind: Maybe all the extra gym time you have when you’re single doesn’t counterbalance your late-night habit of pizza, beer, and Call of Duty.
