New Research Links Marriage To A Common Health Hazard-Here's What You Should Do

New findings from the National Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw, Poland, suggest that getting married might lead to weight gain or even obesity—though the effects differ for men and women.

For men, marriage appears to be particularly risky, tripling their chances of obesity and raising the odds of being overweight by 62%. In contrast, while marriage doesn’t seem to affect a woman’s risk of obesity, it does increase her likelihood of being overweight by 39%.

The researchers also noted that aging is a key contributor to weight gain, with each passing year upping the risk in both men and women.

Obesity significantly raises the risk of developing conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, and certain types of cancer. In 2021, about 42% of American men and 46% of women were considered obese—numbers that are expected to keep rising, with 214 million adults projected to be overweight or obese by 2050.

This latest study analyzed data from 2,405 adults—half men, half women—with a median age of 50. Among them, 35.3% maintained a normal weight, 38.3% were overweight, and 26.4% were obese.

Though marriage was linked to weight gain in both sexes, the effect was more pronounced in men—married men were 3.2 times more likely to be obese than their single counterparts.

The researchers also explored the relationship between weight gain and health literacy by considering various sociodemographic and psychological factors. Interestingly, they found no major difference in obesity rates between married and unmarried women, possibly due to societal expectations and differing perceptions around body image between genders.

This research aligns with earlier findings published in Economics & Human Biology, which showed that men often gain weight in the first five years of marriage, likely due to increased food intake and decreased physical activity. Experts have long observed that people in happy relationships tend to put on weight—a phenomenon sometimes referred to as “happy fat.”

Age stood out once again as a key risk factor, with each additional year making both men and women more prone to being overweight or obese. Another noteworthy finding: women living in communities with fewer than 8,000 people were 46% more likely to be obese and 42% more likely to be overweight. This trend, however, did not hold true for men.

The researchers aim to dive deeper into the social, psychological, and environmental influences that drive weight gain—especially the differing dynamics between men and women. “Age and marital status clearly play a significant role in adult overweight and obesity, regardless of sex,” the study authors concluded.