The results of a study out of the University of North Carolina examining marriage and weight gain probably come as no great suprise. As discussed in the Metro today (www.metronews.ca), the longitudinal study concluded that of the 6,949 participants involved, those who got married were twice as likely to be obese than those who had remained single.

While the study suggested that marriage had the greatest impact upon weight gain, living with a romantic partner for more than 2 years also increased the rates of inactivity, a sedentary lifestyle and in turn obesity.

While no one is suggesting that we should not get married in order to avoid weight gain, the authors of this study suggest that with this knowledge in hand perhaps more can be done to target such households to help establish healthier behaviour patterns.

To read the Metro article visit Metronews.ca or to view the study see the Obesity journal.