Marriage, divorce trigger weight gain

Most men lose weight after marriage and gain the flab after the divorce while it works opposite for women, according to the findings of a research at Ohio State University (OSU).

The research showed that both marriage and divorce are triggers for weight gain, while women are more likely to gain weight after their wedding day, and men pile on the pounds after divorce, with both marital transitions acting as "weight shocks."

"Divorces for men and, to some extent, marriages for women, promote weight gains that may be large enough to pose a health risk," study leader Dmitry Tumin said.

The weight shocks worked mostly in cases when the men and women are over the age of 30.

"For someone in their mid-20s, there is not much of a difference in the probability of gaining weight between someone who just got married and someone who never married. But later in life, there is much more of a difference," Tumin added.

The study followed 10,071 people from 1986 to 2008 to assess weight gain in the two years following a marriage or divorce, taking into consideration a wide range of factors that could affect weight, including pregnancy, poverty, socioeconomic status and education.

"Married women often have a larger role around the house than men do, and they may have less time to exercise and stay fit than similar unmarried women," according to OSU professor of sociology Zhenchao Qian.

"On the other hand, studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage, and they lose that benefit once they get divorced, which may lead to their weight gain."

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