Are there any positive health benefits to divorce?

Divorce studies don’t always look at older women, often focusing on younger individuals. However, divorce is a reality for people of all ages, so some researchers have begun to shift their focus. They wanted to find out what impact divorce had on the lives of older individuals.One thing that they noted was that there could actually be health benefits to splitting up. In a study slated for the Journal of Women’s Health, researchers claimed that older women may actually lose weight after divorce.

The women in the study were all between the ages of 50 and 79, and data was gathered during a three-year span.

Divorce even seemed better, from a health standpoint, than getting married at that age. Women who called off their marriages tended to get more exercise, which is why they lost weight. In short, it was healthy weight loss, seemingly done the right way.

Women who then stayed single — rather than getting married — had lower diastolic blood pressure and also consumed a smaller amount of alcohol. When looking at physical activity and smoking, researchers said there weren’t any significant differences.

They also noted, importantly, that the women did not have depression. They hadn’t stopped eating or lowered their caloric intake for emotional reasons, which could lead to unhealthy weight loss. One researcher said that they simply were making conscious choices to be healthier after their marriages ended.

It’s very important to consider all age groups when researching divorce, as this study shows. On top of that, regardless of age, those who are thinking about splitting up must know their legal rights and how the divorce laws work in Arizona.

Source: Futurity, “Weight loss often follows divorce for older women,” Alexis Blue-U. Arizona, accessed March 03, 2017