Sharing a meal with a loved one helps the body regulate glucose more effectively: the presence of a close person reduces blood sugar spikes after eating and speeds up metabolic normalization, according to infohub.kz.
An international team of researchers led by Shir Atzil of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted an experiment involving 108 volunteers. Participants ate an identical portion of white bread under two different conditions — alone and in the company of a close person. The results, published in the journal Science Advances, showed that social context directly influences the body's metabolic response.
It turned out that in the presence of a loved one, participants' blood sugar levels rose less and returned to baseline faster than when they ate alone. As part of the same study, the authors also tested the responses of two other groups — to cold exposure and to stress tests. Having another person nearby helped maintain body temperature more effectively and lowered physiological arousal.
The study's authors call this a manifestation of "social physiology." According to this concept, the human body is evolutionarily adapted to function in tandem with other people. The closeness of loved ones reduces the body's energy expenditure on self-regulation. In the long term, isolation and loneliness are associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, whereas social bonds help maintain health at the physiological level.