Weight gain hits gals after marriage, guys after divorce: Study

(CBS) What makes people fat? Too much food and too little exercise are among the usual suspects, but marital status may also play a role. A provocative new study shows that getting married or divorced can lead men and women to pack on excess pounds.

The marriage-related "weight shocks" differ according to gender. Women are more likely to gain weight after getting hitched, men after getting divorced, the study showed.

"Clearly, the effect of marital transitions on weight changes differs by gender," study author Dmitry Tumin, a doctoral student in sociology at Ohio State University, said in a written statement. "Divorces for men and, to some extent, marriages for women promote weight gains that may be large enough to pose a health risk."

The effect seems particularly pronounced for people over the age of 30, according to the study, which was presented in Las Vegas recently at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

"As you get older, having a sudden change in your life like a marriage or a divorce is a bigger shock than it would have been when you were younger, and that can really impact your weight," Tumin said in the statement.

The findings were based on an examination of marital status and weight changes in 10,071 men and women surveyed from 1986 through 2008.

Why might women gain weight after marriage? Study author Dr. Zhenchao Qian, a professor of sociology at the university, put it down to housework.

"Married women often have a larger role around the house than men do, and they may have less time to exercise and stay fit than similar unmarried women," he said. "On the other hand," he said, "studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage, and they lose that benefit once they get divorced."