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Women are most likely to gain weight after marriage while men tend to pile on the pounds following a divorce, according to research。 A study of more than 10,000 people surveyed between 1986 and 2008 found that both marrying and getting divorced can have a “weight shock” effect that leads to rapid weight gain, especially in over-30s。 Researchers used data from a national survey in which men and women were weighed every year to see how many pounds they gained or lost in the two years following a marriage or divorce。 They found that up to the age of 30 there was little impact on the weight of either men or women, but after this point the probability of weight gain after marriage or divorce began to rise steadily until the age of 50. Both sexes were more likely to gain weight in the two years after a divorce or marriage than someone who had never been married, the research showed。 But there was a marked difference between men and women in which marital event was the most traumatic on the waistline。 The study says it is not clear why men’s and women’s waistlines respond differently to marriage and divorce。 But Prof Zhenchao Qian, one of the researchers, said: “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。 “On the other hand, studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage, and they lose that benefit once they get divorced, which may lead to their weight gain,”added Qian。 | 
