Strengthen Your Gut and Brain Health with Supportive Relationships

Strengthen Your Gut and Brain Health with Supportive Relationships

Strengthen Your Gut and Brain Health with Supportive Relationships

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New Study: If You Can Describe Your Relationship This Way, It’s a Win for Your Gut and Brain Health

Research has shown that being in a healthy, loving relationship can lead to good health, starting with reduced stress and anxiety to other effects that can even extend lifespan. But the benefits don’t stop there. According to new research, being in a strong partnership could serve to bolster your gut health in a way that also benefits the brain.

In a study published December 2025 in the journal Gut Microbes, researchers at UCLA Health have found that “emotionally supportive marriages” may protect against obesity by influencing a communication system that involves brain function, metabolism, and the “love hormone” or “social peptide,” oxytocin. The findings may reinforce current discourse suggesting the quality of your relationships could be just as important to your health as things like diet and exercise.

Said lead author Dr. Arpana Church, PhD, a neuroscientist at UCLA Health, in a news release: “We’ve known for years that social relationships impact health, with supportive connections increasing survival rates by up to 50%.” On the other hand, reports her team, “Social exclusion correlates with shifts in gut microbiota composition indicative of increased inflammation.” In other words, lacking a feeling of connection can contribute to inflammation and other health-related concerns.

The study involved 94 participants who provided information regarding their marital status, body mass index (BMI), race, age, gender, diet, and socioeconomic status. The researchers also conducted several tests, such as brain imaging while showing the participants images of food, took fecal samples to test for metabolites (substances produced when your body is digesting and metabolizing), administered blood plasma tests to measure oxytocin levels, and assessed the participants’ perceived emotional support systems.

The findings revealed that the married adults who described their relationships as highly supportive had notably lower body mass index and fewer signs of food addiction behaviors than their married peers who felt less understood and supported.

Brain scans revealed that well‑supported spouses showed stronger activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—a region tied to self‑control and planning—when viewing tempting food cues.

Meanwhile, stool and blood samples from the “supported” partners pointed to healthier gut metabolism and tryptophan metabolites, which help regulate inflammation, immune function, energy balance, and brain health.

Tying all of these together were higher levels of oxytocin in married participants over unmarried participants—something that suggests that oxytocin acts as a messenger that both enhances the parts of the brain that regulate self-control as well as supports a healthier gut. “Think of oxytocin as a conductor orchestrating a symphony between the brain and gut,” said Dr. Church. “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.”

The researchers noted a few limitations to the study, notably that the data captured only one moment in time and couldn’t “definitively establish cause-and-effect relationships.” Most of the study participants were also overweight or obese, and married participants tended to be older in age. A look at non-married couples might have added further dimension to the findings.

Still, alongside healthy diet and exercise, the researchers conclude: “These findings highlight the influence of stable and strong social relationships, such as marriage… in the context of obesity prevention and management.”

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Hi, I’m Ciro Irmici, an entrepreneur and investor from San Severo, Italy. My passions range from investments (stocks, crypto, dividends) to automation and creating businesses that help people. I believe in building things that matter, like a gym for all and a theatre for people to enjoy music. I love learning and sharing what I learn: how to create eBooks, audiobooks, and other digital products. I’m also deeply into fitness (gym, running, jump rope) and creativity (painting, music, design). My ultimate goal? To reach financial freedom and help others achieve their dreams.

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