We have heard the oft-quoted saying:

There are 3 rings in life – engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering!

Well, there appears to be an advantage to “suffering” according to a US-funded study by a sociologist at Michigan State University.

“Men who were frustrated in their marriage showed a lower risk of diabetes.”

The study looked at 1,228 married individuals. Three hundred eighty-nine individuals were diabetic. Males and females were analyzed for their risk of developing diabetes. The diabetic men and women were observed for how well their diabetes was managed.

The interesting fact was that men who were unhappy in their marriage surprisingly showed a lower risk of developing diabetes. And among the diabetic men, an unhappy marriage actually translated to better-managed diabetes!!

As is always the case, the reverse scenario was observed in women. A happy relationship lowered the risk of developing diabetes and was great in managing diabetes.

The theory is that in a marriage, wives may monitor the diet of their husbands for health reasons, which annoys the men. While the dietary control may leave men frustrated, it certainly keeps their diabetes in check. It should be noted that the type of negative relationships may have differing consequences on the risk of diabetes.

So, maybe a fussing, nagging wife may have its benefits after all. What do you think?