What marriage does to your waistline

New research suggests married people have higher BMIs than single people. Photo: Getty

While there have been a number of studies highlighting the health benefits of marital bliss – from heart health to happiness – there is one area that it may not have a positive effect.

New research suggests that single people are healthier than married when it comes to weight.

The study published in Social Science and Medicine compared the relationship between marital status and body mass index (BMI) in over 10,000 people from Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Researchers found an association between wedded bliss and a higher BMI. On average, single men had an average BMI of 25.7 while married men had an average BMI of 26.3. Single women had an average BMI of 25.1 while married women had an average of 25.6.

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These results are not necessarily ground breaking – single people are more likely to spend time working out, for example – however while couples tended to buy healthier foods (unprocessed, fresh food) they were less active than their single counterparts.

“Our findings indicate that couples are not healthier in every respect, as previously assumed,” study author Jutta Mata said in a statement. So how can married couples make a commitment to not pack on extra kilos? Try working out together, there’s nothing like an exercise buddy to hold you accountable.