United Kingdom: A new study has found that people who cohabit with a partner have lower blood sugar levels, even if they do not get along with them. The study further warned that social isolation may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
According to the study published in the British Medical Journal’s diabetes journal, living with someone is an important source of social support for adults in mid- to late-life. The researchers further remarked that the effects were the same regardless of whether the relationship was harmonious or acrimonious.
The lead author, Ms. Katherine Ford, formerly of the University of Luxembourg and now at Carleton University in Ottawa, shared that “increased support for older adults who are experiencing the loss of a marital or cohabiting relationship through divorce or bereavement, as well as the dismantling of negative stereotypes around romantic relationships in later life, may be starting points for addressing health risks, more specifically deteriorating glycemic regulation, associated with marital transitions in older adults.”
