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Abstract

Distressed marriages enhance risk for health problems; appetite dysregulation is one potential mechanistic pathway. Research suggests that ghrelin and leptin, appetite-relevant hormones connected to shorter and longer-term energy balance, may differentially affect people with a higher versus lower body mass index (BMI). During this double-blind randomized crossover study, both members of a couple (N = 86 participants) ate a standardized meal at the beginning of two visits. Observational recordings of a marital conflict assessed marital distress. Ghrelin and leptin were sampled premeal and postmeal at 2, 4, and 7 hr. Diet quality was measured using the USDA 24-Hour Multiple-Pass Approach. People in more distressed marriages had higher postmeal ghrelin (but not leptin) and a poorer quality diet than those in less distressed marriages, but only among participants with a lower BMI. These effects were consistent for both spouses. Ghrelin and diet quality may link marital distress to its corresponding negative health effects.

Keywords

marriage diet ghrelin hunger obesity interpersonal relationships

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Novel Links Between Troubled Marriages and Appetite Regulation

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