Living with a partner can halve risk of becoming overweight, study finds

Living with a partner can half the risk of becoming overweight for people at risk from unhealthy lifestyles, new research suggests.

A study of patients with type 2 diabetes revealed that those who cohabited with a spouse or partner had approximately 50 per cent less risk of being above the 25 body-mass index (BMI) thresholds than patients who do not, regardless of their gender.

The findings suggest that a second pair of eyes to guard against unhealthy eating helps diabetics control their blood-sugar levels, the researchers said.

The study by Yokohama City University tracked 270 patients with type 2 diabetes over six years.

Compared to the single group, which comprised 90 people, the married group of 180 patients exhibited a significantly lower BMI, an average of 26.5 and 24.5 respectively, as well as a lower average body fat mass and lower rate of metabolic syndrome.

Among patients with type 2 diabetes, being overweight increases insulin resistance and further worsens blood sugar control.

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“These findings suggest that social supportive care is needed to help single patients with type 2 diabetes manage their body weight,” said the authors.

The research also found that men who were married and lived with their spouse exhibited a risk reduction of 58 per cent for metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

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