The quality of family relationships directly affects the risk of obesity. This conclusion was reached by specialists at UCLA Health. Gut Microbes reports on this.
The study included about one hundred residents of Los Angeles, who were assessed based on body mass index, level of emotional support, socio-economic status, and dietary habits. Participants underwent MRI scans of the brain while being shown images of food, provided stool samples, and took tests for food addiction and oxytocin levels.
Married couples who felt high emotional support had a lower BMI and higher activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, indicating better impulse control and appetite regulation. No such connection was found in single individuals.
There were also differences in gut metabolism: individuals with support showed more favorable changes in tryptophan metabolites related to immunity, inflammation, and serotonin production. Oxytocin plays a key role in this process — its levels were higher in those who felt supported by their partner.
Researchers emphasized that the effect is related not to formal marriage but to the quality of relationships. Arpana Church noted that marriage can be seen as a training in self-control, strengthening the neural networks responsible for regulating eating behavior. Scientists believe that strengthening social ties could be part of obesity prevention alongside diet and physical activity.
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