No matter how harmonious the partners' relationship may be, a new study found that persons who do not live alone have a lower risk of having high blood sugar, which can be a precursor to type 2 diabetes. This was true regardless of whether or not the couple got along well.
According to the findings of this study, it is possible to conclude that leading a single life is worse for one's health than being in an unhappy marriage.
Experts claim that partners in a relationship can influence one another's behaviors, such as diet, and that couples typically have a higher joint income, which can also lead to healthy eating habits.
Studies that have been done in the past have shown that being in a relationship can lead to many health benefits, including a longer life span, a decreased chance of depression, fewer strokes and heart attacks, and a healthier diet than in the case of single people.
In the most recent one, researchers looked at how being in a relationship for a long time influenced blood sugar levels, which are determined by several factors, including nutrition, hormones, and stress.
According to the Daily Mail, the researchers studied the responses of almost 3,300 older persons who were part of the "English Longitudinal Study on Aging." The participants' ages ranged from 50 to 89 years old.
People were questioned regarding their involvement in a pair relationship, including whether or not they had a husband, wife, or partner living with them. The results revealed that 76% of participants were married or cohabiting.
In addition, the amount of conflict and support within their connection was evaluated. After that, the findings were verified by comparing them to the information obtained from blood samples taken at regular intervals over four years. These samples were used to determine the amount of blood sugar known as HbA1c.
Researchers from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and the University of Luxembourg discovered that those who were married or living together had blood sugar levels that were, on average, a fifth (21%) lower than those who were single, divorced, or had lost a spouse. This outcome was seen for both males and females in the study.
The quality of the relationship that the patients were in did not make a significant difference to their average blood glucose levels. The researchers concede that this conclusion was surprising considering the outcomes of earlier studies, which suggested that supportive partnerships are most beneficial.
Those individuals who went through marital transitions, such as divorce, observed significant alterations in their HbA1c levels and an increased risk of prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition that frequently comes before diabetes.
The study's leader, Katherine Ford of Carleton University in Ottawa, who believed that this association demonstrated how a person's health could depend on their involvement in a relationship, said that the study's findings supported her hypothesis.
