Being married triples the risk of men becoming obese, research suggests.
The chance of piling on the pounds increased for both sexes after marriage, however.
Women’s risk of being overweight was 39% higher – and men’s 62% – compared with unmarried couples.
But married men were 3.2 times more likely to be classed as technically obese than their unmarried counterparts, according to the study.
This finding wasn’t mirrored in females, which the Polish researchers said could be because women who are obese “are more often stigmatised” by society.
Dr Alicja Cicha-Mikolajczyk, from Warsaw’s National Institute of Cardiology, suggested women “cannot accept living with obesity” and are more likely to take action to lose weight.
In the UK, the NHS generally classes obese people as having a body mass index (BMI) of above 30, and being overweight is associated with a BMI of 25-30.
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However, the measure (which looks only at height and weight) has been criticised by some as over simplistic.
The study – which looked at 2,405 Polish people, typically aged 50 – also found getting older increased the risk of becoming heavier in both sexes.
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Each extra year increased the risk of being overweight by 3% in men and 4% in women; and the risk of obesity by 4% in men and 6% in women.
Depression or poor health knowledge also had a significant impact on the risk of women becoming obese – but this wasn’t found in men.
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The team concluded: “Age and marital status have undeniable impact on living with overweight or obesity in adulthood regardless of sex.
“In turn, inadequate health literacy and having at least borderline depression were associated with obesity in women.
“It appears from our results that the dissemination of health knowledge and health promotion across the lifespan could reduce the worrying phenomenon of increasing levels of obesity.”
The findings will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain in May.
