Marriage makes women fatter: Study

It's official, marriage makes women fatter. Researchers have found that after moving in with a partner, a woman tends to put on at least 2 kgs over a decade and about 4 kgs more if she has a baby.

It's official, marriage makes women fatter - as scientists have claimed that marital bliss or peace of mind for a woman comes at a price - an expanding waistline.

Researchers at the Queensland University, in Australia, who studied about 6,000 women aged between 18 and 23 over a period of 10 years, found after moving in with a partner, a woman tend to put on at least 2 kgs over a decade, and about 4 kgs more if she has a baby.

During this period, the researchers found that every 10th woman in the study gained 20 pounds (over 9 kgs) if she had a partner and baby, 15 pounds (nearly 7kgs) if she had a partner and no baby, and 11 pounds (nearly 5 kgs) if she was childless with no partner, the Daily Mail reported.

On an average, every woman gained nearly 2 kgs of excess weight after her marriage and more than 4 kgs after having a baby in the study period of 10 years, found the research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The study also supports previous research which stated that cohabiting women tend to cook unhealthy food because their partner prefers it and have less time for exercising.

Dr Amelia Lake, of Newcastle University's Human Nutrition Research Centre, who carried the previous research on the subject, said many women found it difficult to maintain their weight after moving in with a partner.

She said: "A woman in the early stages of a relationship will want to please her partner. She will eat things she hasn't eaten before, and will give up sports she and her partner can't do together."