Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Study links romantic meals to lower post-meal glucose levels
Researchers studied whether eating with someone close changes the body’s response to food.
They asked people to eat the same amount of white-wheat bread alone and with a romantic partner.
Two hours later, blood sugar was about 15% lower when people ate with their partner.
The researchers also studied mothers and babies, as well as other adult couples.
Being close to another person seemed to reduce some physical stress responses.
These effects happened even without touching.
The researchers think close relationships may help the brain manage the body’s energy systems.
They want to learn how hormones, insulin, and other body processes create this effect.
A Hebrew University study involved 108 participants, including 54 couples.
Participants had glucose levels about 15% lower after eating with romantic partners.
Researchers compared the same people eating 102 grams of bread alone or socially.
Additional experiments found social proximity reduced stress responses in adults and infants.
The findings appeared in Science Advances and remained after accounting for several factors.
- Who
- Researchers led by Shir Atzil at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem studied 108 participants, including 54 couples, plus mother-infant pairs and adult couples.
- What
- The study found that post-meal blood glucose was about 15% lower when participants ate with romantic partners than when they ate alone.
- When
- The findings were reported on Wednesday and published in Science Advances.
- Where
- The research was conducted by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
- Why
- Researchers investigated whether social proximity affects physiological regulation, including glucose metabolism and stress responses.
- Main finding
- Blood glucose two hours after a meal was about 15% lower when people ate with romantic partners.
- Primary study
- 108 participants, consisting of 54 couples.
- Standardized meal
- 102 grams of white-wheat bread.
- Comparison
- The same people ate the standardized meal alone and with a social partner.
- Additional participants
- The researchers studied 56 mother-infant pairs and 57 adult couples in other experiments.
- Stress response
- Social proximity reduced physiological stress responses in adults and infants.
- Publication
- The findings were published in Science Advances.