Ellen B. Kennedy
High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, can have serious consequences, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, vision impairment, tooth and gum infections, and bone and joint problems.
Keeping your blood sugar within the normal range can help you avoid these dangerous issues and stay healthy, especially as you age. Good health is an underpinning of a happy retirement, so it's worth keeping track of your blood sugar levels.
While most people know that eating a balanced diet and staying fit can help prevent type 2 diabetes, recent research has uncovered a surprising factor that could help keep your blood sugar at a safe level: your marital status.
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What is high blood sugar?
The research tracked blood sugar levels as measured by the A1C test, a blood test often performed as part of an annual physical or regularly tracked for people with higher levels. This test measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two or three months. You may see this test listed on your lab report under different names, such as HbA1c. You may have no symptoms with prediabetes, which is why it's so important to get the test.
Here's how to interpret your results according to the Mayo Clinic.
A1C Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
Below 5.7% | Healthy |
5.7% to 6.4% | Prediabetes |
6.5% or higher on two separate tests | Diabetes |
Marriage can have a surprising effect on blood sugar levels
According to recent research, being married is associated with lower blood sugar levels among adults who did not have pre-existing diabetes.
The researchers reviewed the blood sugar levels of adults aged 50 to 89 and found lower HbA1c (A1C) values for both male and female adults who were married and living together.
Specifically, marital relationships caused a 0.21% decrease in HbA1c level among those cohabiting with a spouse. This is significant, as past research has demonstrated that a 0.25% decline in the population average HbA1c value could result in a 25% decrease in excess mortality.
What was surprising, however, is that neither marital support nor marital strain had any specific impact on blood sugar levels. In other words, the researchers concluded that "marital relationships, regardless of the quality of the relationship, are associated with lower HbA1c values for male and female adults aged over 50 years."
Marriage can play a key role in health
This study was not the first showing that married people tend to have better health outcomes. In fact:
- Research has demonstrated that married men and women tend to live longer, with total life expectancy 2.2 years longer for married men 65 and over, and 1.5 years longer for married women within this age range.
- Married patients have better survival rates after being diagnosed with heart disease or having a previous heart attack
- Married couples are significantly more likely than their unmarried peers to survive cancer.
However, many of the studies linking marriage to better outcomes have focused on either healthy marriages or did not address the issue of whether the marriage was a happy one or not.
Separate research into the impact of marriage quality on well-being has revealed that those who remain in an unhappy marriage tend to have worse overall health, lower happiness ratings, lower self-esteem, lower life satisfaction levels, and elevated levels of psychological distress compared with those whose unions are happier.
Still, when it comes to blood sugar, the quality of the marriage doesn't appear to matter — the simple fact is that cohabiting couplehood makes the difference, according to the research. Because of this effect, those who lose a spouse through divorce or death may need added support to maintain healthy glycemic levels.
The study authors also believe that promoting marriage, or at least cohabitating couplehood, among older Americans is worth doing. The study explains: "Identifying and addressing barriers that impede the formation of romantic partnerships for older adults that wish to pursue these types of relationships may have subsequent benefits for glycemic levels in this population at risk for type 2 diabetes.
As bullish as the study is on marriage for better blood sugar health, it does not advocate staying in an unhappy marriage to avoid diabetes. The researchers did not consider, for example, whether the negative cardiovascular effects of an unhappy marriage negated any positive blood sugar improvements.
Maintaining healthy glycemic levels
Of course, it's possible to maintain healthy blood sugar levels even when you're not married.
Best practices include eating whole fruits and vegetables, using unprocessed grains when possible and avoiding added or concentrated sugars. Although some people may be genetically disposed to developing type 2 diabetes, avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising can also help prevent it.
Whether married or not, knowing your A1C level and the healthy habits listed above can help you maintain optimum health and avoid the many medical conditions that become more likely to develop with advancing age.
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