A new study has found that being with a romantic partner while eating could help keep blood sugar levels lower after a meal. The study was led by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Sheba Medical Centre. It looked at 108 healthy adults who were part of 54 couples. All the couples had been together for at least nine months, as reported by Earth.com.
Researchers found that healthy people had a smaller rise in blood sugar when they ate with their partner than when they ate the same food alone. Their blood sugar also came down faster. The study was led by Monia Masalha and Shir Atzil at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
For the experiment, participants were given about 102 grams of white bread, which contained around 50 grams of carbohydrates. Each person ate the same amount twice on the same day.
During one session, they ate alone. During the other, their partner stayed in the room. The order was changed for different participants, and the two sessions were separated by at least four hours. Couples sat in a room with a sofa and natural light and could talk or touch each other if they wanted.
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Researchers found out that when people ate with their partner, their blood sugar rise was about 15% lower overall than when they ate alone. And when researchers looked only at the first meal of each person, the blood sugar response was about 24% lower when people ate with their partner.
The participants wore sensors that could track signs linked to stress. The researchers also tested whether having a partner nearby could affect the body in other situations.
In one test, 116 adults spent five minutes in a cold room at 54 degrees Celsius. Their body temperature dropped less and recovered faster when their partner was with them.
In another test, 115 adults received two mild electric shocks on their forearm. Those who had their partner with them showed a smaller stress response, although this result was not as clear when researchers compared the same person during separate tests.
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"We saw the same principle across very different systems, glucose, temperature, and stress, which are usually studied separately," Atzil said. "Some people benefited a lot from social proximity, while others did not," she added.
However, the study does not mean that eating with your partner can prevent diabetes or keep blood sugar healthy in the long term. The research only looked at the body's short-term response after eating.
"Long-term benefits cannot motivate every hug, meal, or moment together. Close partners can make regulation easier for the body, creating a metabolic gain in the moment," Atzil said.
She further stated, "The current study measured the immediate effect during a physiological challenge and recovery, so we do not yet know exactly how long each individual gain lasts."