Studies on the benefits of marriage
Previous research has found that marriage can lead to a range of health benefits including:
extend life
Reduce strokes
Reduce heart attacks
Reducing the risk of depression
Eat healthy
But the researchers wanted to focus on how the long-term relationship affects blood sugar levels, which can be the result of factors including what we eat, hormones and stress.
They analyzed data from more than 3,300 adults, ages 50 to 89, from the English Study of Aging. People were asked if they had a husband, wife or partner they lived with, and 76% of respondents found that they were married or in the process of getting married. They were also asked questions to examine the level of stress and support within the relationship.
The results were then analyzed along with data collected from blood samples taken every four years that measure average blood sugar levels, known as HbA1c. Experts from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and the University of Luxembourg found that those who were married or lived together had blood sugar levels on average one-fifth 21% lower than those who were single, divorced or widowed.
Marriage and its impact on women and men
The results showed that the same applies to both men and women. Relationship quality made no significant difference to average blood glucose levels, which they acknowledge was surprising given previous findings that supportive relationships are most beneficial. However, those who experienced marital upheavals, such as divorce, also saw significant changes in their HbA1c levels and their odds of developing prediabetes, the condition that often precedes diabetes. In fact, happiness and contentment are among the benefits of early marriage too!
Kathryn Ford, of Carleton University in Ottawa, who led the study, suggested that the relationship showed how people's health can be intertwined in relationships. She said: “I would expect that marriage and cohabitation require a certain emotional investment over a long period of time. It is possible that the prominence of this type of relationship means that losing it may have implications for health, such as average blood sugar levels.”
Finally, while love affects people's mental health, overall, the researchers concluded that marital relationships were inversely related to HbA1c levels regardless of the dimensions of marital support or stress. Similarly, these relationships appear to have a protective effect against HbA1c levels above the pre-diabetic threshold.
