JEDDAH: A Saudi doctor has warned that obesity is on the increase in couples shortly after they are married. Dr. Iman Al-Ayoubi, who works in the field of nutrition, said that according to her studies 90 percent of obese men and women in Saudi society suffer from acquired obesity. She said couples can overcome this by encouraging each other to lose weight. She said a recent American study showed that couples neglect their appearance after marriage. She said the study showed that 63 percent of women were more susceptible to obesity during the first five years of marriage than at any other time. Referring to the research, conducted by the American researcher Gordon Larsen, she said Larsen showed that couples start putting on weight in the first year of marriage. Men start putting on weight over the first two years of marriage. She said the rise in weight can be attributed to Arab culture. Arab girls are told to remain slim before marriage, but this does not happen after they are married. She said most dietitians agree that women eat to reduce stress. They also do not exercise and spend most of their leisure time watching television and browsing the Internet. Another factor is that many tend to eat junk food. This results in their children also putting on weight.
