Those who diet as a couple are likely to lose more weight than those who diet alone. What is the “ripple effect”

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Those who diet as a couple are likely to lose more weight than those who do it alone, a study shows.

On average, each partner lost 2.25kg – or four and a half kilos – more when they teamed up to tackle unhealthy eating habits.

Researchers said the results, obtained by a team of experts from Bournemouth University, suggest that weight loss advice may be more effective if targeted at married or cohabiting couples, as it is common for them to have a higher caloric intake similar. The results also suggest that a “ripple effect” allows one person’s efforts to lose weight to benefit their partner, even if they are not “actively involved.”

Britain has the highest obesity rates in Western Europe. For example, the Health Survey for England found that almost 26% of adults in England were classified as obese – having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.

A BMI between 25 and 30 is classified as “overweight”. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Surveys show that over 60% of people in the UK want to reduce their calorie intake and cut out fatty foods in favor of fruit, vegetables and fibre.

However, only a fraction of them manage to get rid of all the unwanted pounds. The team from Bournemouth wanted to see if targeting dietary advice at couples worked better than at individuals.

They reviewed dozens of previous studies on the topic to get an overview of possible benefits.

The results showed that couples who counted calories together lost significantly more weight than those who tried to adopt a healthy lifestyle alone.

They also lost an average of 4.5kg – or nine and a half kilograms – more than overweight volunteers who received no dietary guidelines.

In a report on the findings, the researchers said: “Lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing excess body weight focus on overweight or obese individuals.

But many couples share a risk of obesity.”

The researchers said that the so-called “ripple effect” may explain why two are more effective than one when it comes to losing weight, writes dailymail.com.

“There is evidence that partners who are not actively involved in a weight loss action still lost some weight due to the ripple effect.

Our findings suggest that couple interventions lead to greater weight loss.”