Happy Marriage, Healthier Weight: UCLA Study Finds Love May Protect Against Obesity Through Brain-Gut Connection
StudyFinds••health
Key Points:
- UCLA research finds that married individuals who feel emotionally supported by their partners have significantly lower body mass indexes (BMIs), averaging about five points less than those lacking such support.
- The study suggests that emotional support in marriage boosts oxytocin levels, a hormone linked to bonding, which influences brain responses to food and gut nutrient processing, thereby helping regulate weight.
- Brain scans showed that emotionally supported married participants had greater activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region involved in impulse control, enabling better resistance to food cravings.
- Gut bacteria analysis revealed that higher emotional support correlates with beneficial tryptophan metabolites that reduce inflammation and support neuroprotection, highlighting a link between social environment, gut health, and metabolism
