Adults with type 2 diabetes who live with their spouses are  50 percent  less likely to become overweight  when compared to single adults with diabetes, according to research obtained from a cross-sectional study presented at the 52nd European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting.

Married men  also exhibited a risk reduction of 58% for metabolic syndrome,” Yoshinobu Kondo, MD, PhD, of Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, and his colleagues concluded. “In contrast, being single was a risk factor for overweight status and metabolic syndrome, especially among male patients. These findings suggest that social supportive care is needed to help single patients with type 2 diabetes manage their body weight.”

Married men  also exhibited a risk reduction of 58% for metabolic syndrome,” Yoshinobu Kondo, MD, PhD, of Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, and his colleagues concluded.

Kondo and his team  analyzed data from 270 patients with type 2 diabetes, including 180 married patients (109 men) and 90 single patients (46 men).  Metabolic syndrome-related information was assessed in a review of medical records and researchers determined BMI and body fat mass via bioelectrical impedance body composition analyzer and used logistic regression analysis to determine the relationship between marital status and weight.

Check out these Comparison stats.  Married patients had a significantly lower BMI compared to their single counterparts (mean, 24.5 kg/m² vs. 26.5 kg/m²), lower HbA1c (7% vs. 7.3%), lower body fat mass (18.9 kg vs. 23.5 kg) and a lower rate of metabolic syndrome (54% vs. 68%).

When scientists used a multivariate logistic regression analysis, married adults were 50% less likely weight issues; and the results remained consistent even after adjusting for age, sex, diabetes duration, beta-cell function, insulin use and exercise frequency (OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.28-0.87). Another bonus: men who lived with their spouses were 58% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome (adjusted OR = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.18-0.95), whereas women who lived with their spouse showed no risk reduction (OR = 1.32; 95% CI, 0.51-3.39).

The researchers said that  information regarding the health of the relationship between patients and their spouses was not available and was not included as a contributing factor.