Emotionally supportive marriages have been linked to lower obesity rates and better gut health in a new study that found "the love hormone" plays a crucial role in self-control and metabolism.

一项新研究发现，充满情感支持的婚姻与较低的肥胖率及更佳的肠道健康相关， 该研究还指出 “爱的荷尔蒙” 在自我控制和新陈代谢方面发挥着关键作用。

The UCLA Health study, published recently in the journal Gut Microbes, is the first to show how social bonds influence weight and food cravings through improved brain function, higher metabolism and the hormone oxytocin.

这项由加州大学洛杉矶分校医疗中心开展的研究近期发表于《肠道微生物》期刊， 首次揭示了社会关系如何通过改善大脑功能、提升新陈代谢水平以及调控催产素，来影响体重和对食物的渴望。

Big picture view: According to UCLA Health, researchers looked at 100 people in the Los Angeles area and found that married people with higher perceived emotional support had a lower body mass index. They also found fewer food addiction behaviors compared to married participants with low emotional support.

据加州大学洛杉矶分校医疗中心介绍， 研究人员对洛杉矶地区的 100 人展开调查，发现感知到较高情感支持的已婚人士，其身体质量指数更低； 与获得较少情感支持的已婚参与者相比，他们的食物成瘾行为也更少。

What they're saying: "We've known for years that social relationships impact health, with supportive connections increasing survival rates by up to 50%," lead author Dr. Arpana Church, a neuroscientist at UCLA Health, said in a news release. "The biological mechanisms explaining this connection have remained elusive. Our study reveals a novel pathway showing how marriage and emotional support literally get 'under the skin' to influence obesity risk."

“多年来我们一直知道社会关系会影响健康， 良好的支持性关系能将存活率提高高达 50%。” 该研究的第一作者、加州大学洛杉矶分校医疗中心神经科学家阿帕娜・丘奇博士在新闻稿中表示。 但此前这种关联背后的生物学机制一直难以捉摸。 我们的研究揭示了一种全新路径，表明婚姻和情感支持如何真正‘深入肌理’，对肥胖风险产生影响。”

Brain imaging showed people in supportive marriages had "enhanced activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which manages cravings and appetite," when they were shown images of food.

脑部成像显示，当看到食物图片时，处于支持性婚姻中的人， 其 “负责管控渴望与食欲的背外侧前额叶皮层活动更为活跃”。

Unmarried people – both with and without strong emotional support – showed different brain patterns, potentially due to more diverse and less consistent social support networks.

而未婚人士无论是否拥有强有力的情感支持，都呈现出不同的大脑活动模式， 这可能是因为他们的社会支持网络更多样化，但稳定性相对不足。

Social support also showed beneficial changes in tryptophan metabolites – compounds in the gut that regulate inflammation, immune function, energy and brain health. Those same metabolites also aid in making serotonin and other compounds that can enhance mood, social behavior and metabolism.

研究还发现，社会支持会使色氨酸代谢物产生有益变化。色氨酸代谢物是肠道内的化合物，能够调节炎症反应、免疫功能、 能量代谢以及大脑健康。 这类代谢物同样有助于合成血清素及其他可改善情绪、调节社交行为和促进新陈代谢的化合物。

The research suggests that the quality of relationships may be equally important to physical health as factors like exercise and diet.

该研究表明，人际关系质量对身体健康的重要性，或许与运动、饮食等因素不相上下。

"These results underscore the critical importance of building long-lasting, positive and stable relationships to promote overall health," Church said. "Social connections aren't just emotionally fulfilling; they're biologically embedded in our health."

“这些结果强调了建立持久、积极和稳定的关系对促进整体健康的至关重要性，” 丘奇说道。 “社会关系不仅能带来情感满足，更在生理层面与我们的健康息息相关。”

The findings show that married people have higher levels of the hormone oxytocin, also known as the "love hormone." Oxytocin plays a notable role in self-control and a healthier gut.

研究结果显示，已婚人士体内的催产素水平更高，这种激素也被称为 “爱的荷尔蒙”。 催产素在自我控制和肠道健康方面发挥着显着作用。

"Think of oxytocin as a conductor orchestrating a symphony between the brain and gut," Church said. "It strengthens the brain's ability to resist food cravings while promoting beneficial metabolic processes in the gut, both of which help maintain healthy weight."

丘奇说：“可以把催产素看作是指挥大脑与肠道协同运作的‘乐队指挥’。 它既能增强大脑抵抗食物渴望的能力，又能促进肠道内有益的代谢过程， 这两者都有助于保持健康的体重。"

"Marriage may serve as a training ground for self-control," said Church. "Maintaining a long-term partnership requires consistently overriding destructive impulses and aligning with long-term goals, which may strengthen the same brain circuits involved in managing eating behavior."

丘奇指出：“婚姻或许可以看作是锻炼自我控制能力的‘训练场’。 维持一段长期伴侣关系，需要不断克制破坏性冲动并与长期目标保持一致， 这一过程或许能强化大脑中负责调控饮食行为的神经回路。”