Men tend to be happier with life when they're married, as many studies have identified over the last few decades. But new research shows they also become fatter. In fact, they're more than three times more likely to be obese than men who remained unmarried.
In research to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025) in Spain in May, Polish scientists looked at the data of 1,098 men and 1,307 women with a median age of 50, sourced from the WOBASZ II national health survey. Statistically speaking, 35.3% were classed as "normal weight," 38.3% were clinically overweight and 26.4% were considered obese.
Looking at whether marital status, health literacy, depression and social factors contributed to being overweight or obese, a team led by Alicja Cicha-Mikołajczyk from the National Institute of Cardiology pried out some interesting numbers.
Married men had a 62% increased risk of becoming overweight during wedlock, while their wives had a 39% risk. While these figures don't sound that significant, when compared with each other, as well as singles, via odds ratio (OR) analysis – which looks at the association between two cohorts – the scientists found that married men were more than three times (OR 3.19) as likely to be obese as unmarried men. Yet, even though women experienced weight gain in wedlock, it was on par with unmarried women.
Of course, we already know what contributes to obesity – poor diet, low activity, genetics, underlying health conditions, for example. The natural aging process and events such as menopause for women also play a role. Here, the team specifically looked at how "functional health literacy, depression and social support" impacted weight changes.
In the study, there was some evidence that living in smaller, more isolated communities without a good social network (frequency of talking to friends and family, and engaging in social activities) and inadequate health literacy were factors in those who were overweight and obese. However, it wasn't across the board. And the scientists suggest that the similarity between married and unmarried women could be a result of societal and cultural "norms."
“Age and marital status have [an] undeniable impact on living with overweight or obesity in adulthood regardless of sex," the authors wrote. "In turn, inadequate health literacy and having at least borderline depression were associated with obesity in women. It appears from our results that the dissemination of health knowledge and health promotion across the lifespan could reduce the worrying phenomenon of increasing levels of obesity.”
The study, of course, has many limitations – the narrow avenue of investigation, no assessment of interrelated factors and it being just Poland-based are a few – but the scientists believe it can help medical professionals better target people who are more at risk of obesity, such as improving social connections and boosting health literacy.
Overall, cardiovascular disease was present in 28% of the obese participants, more than double what was observed in those who fell within the "normal" weight range.
The findings will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, May 11-14, 2025.
New Atlas