Study warns of surprising impact Ozempic could have on married couples

If you're wondering how your relationship will fare if either one of you start taking weight loss jabs, a study has some sad news for you.

A lot of us are trying to lose weight and get into shape as the summer approaches, but it might just come at a cost that’s far more than monetary.

With one in 10 Americans being unhappy with their weight, per a Gallup poll, it could also have another impact on a few other industries – like divorce lawyers.

According to new research in Sweden, people who lose weight fast are more likely to end up single.

Now, before you think this means your partner would leave you if you lost weight, here’s the full picture.

According to the study – which focused on gastric bands – people who lost weight rapidly were twice as likely to get a divorce.

A Swedish study linked rapid weight loss to divorce (Getty Stock Images)

But why?

Professor Per-Arne Svensson, of the University of Gothenburg, said ‘very similar mechanisms could occur with Ozempic [and other GLP-1 receptor agonists] as with surgery, with regards to changes in relationships'.

The researcher, who conducted the gastric band poll, told The Telegraph that there could be ‘many mechanisms' as to why the couple divorces, as 'people who embark on the weight-loss journey usually have a lot of other life changes as well'.

He said: “That means that they are probably becoming more social, trying to live a healthier life. If the partner is not really on the train there, if they don’t follow this person along in this change, that might be something that causes tension.”

Many people who embark on weight loss journeys experience changes in their personal lives, which includes their relationships (Getty Stock Image)

However, according to the CDC, there’s been around a 27 percent drop in divorces in the US up until 2022.

So, it might just be that the people in the poll were destined to divorce prior to weight loss?

Or they became more confident and divorced sooner rather than doing it at a later date.

The professor seemed to consider this, as he told the outlet: “It could also be that you have a person who is stuck in a bad relationship, but doesn’t have the self-confidence to break it off because they feel ‘who would like to date them, if not their current spouse’."

However, Ozempic wasn't specifically examined in the study (Getty Stock Images)

The prof added: “We have shown (higher divorce rates) for bariatric surgery, but that could also be true for Ozempic-based weight loss.”

According to Pew Research, approximately 16 percent of divorces in 2023 occurred within the first five years of marriage, while 24 per cent of divorces occurred within five to nine years of marriage.

So, understanding the cause can be tricky, especially if the people’s ages, and length of marriage prior to the poll hasn’t been revealed or factored.

But it does give food for thought on the impact GLP-1s can have on a relationship.

UNILAD reached out to Novo Nordisk for comment.

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