Is Marriage Unhealthy?

Some people say marriage makes you fat, while others say it trims you down. It turns out BOTH are right.

According to a new study, both marriage and divorce can act as "weight shocks," leading people to add a few extra pounds– especially among those over age 30.

But when it comes to large weight gains, the effects of marital transitions are quite different for men than they are for women. For men, the risk of a large weight gain increased most prominently after a divorce. But for women, the risk of a large weight gain was most likely after marriage.

Sociologist Dmitry Tumin says, "Clearly, the effect of marital transitions on weight changes differs by gender. Divorces for men and, to some extent, marriages for women promote weight gains that may be large enough to pose a health risk."

There’s a long line of research that associates marriage with reducing unhealthy habits such as smoking, and promoting better health habits such as regular checkups. However, new research is emerging that suggests married straight couples and cohabiting gay and lesbian couples in long-term intimate relationships may pick up each other’s unhealthy habits as well. Sociologist Corinne Reczek says, "One individual’s unhealthy habits directly promotes the other’s unhealthy habits."

An example would be how both partners eat the unhealthy foods that one partner purchases. But if you’re at risk for a heart attack, having a long-term partner will help: Happily wedded people who undergo coronary bypass surgery are more than three times as likely to be alive 15 years later as their unmarried counterparts.

But you can avoid heart trouble if you only LOSE WEIGHT. Encourage each other to EAT RIGHT and EXERCISE, and the way to do that is to download Anne Strieber’s famous diet book "What I Learned From the Fat Years." Using scientific principles, she devised a diet that helped her to lose 100 pounds and YOU CAN TOO, and at less than $5, it costs MUCH LESS than the ineffective diet books you’ll find in stores!