Married? You and your partner may suffer as a result

Married couples spend a lot of time together so it makes sense for them to have the same life experiences. A new study found that long-term married couples often suffer from the same medical conditions. While strange, it makes sense because these people often have similar diets and lifestyles.

The study, published in the journal Atherosclerosis, tracked over 33,000 couples using data from two longitudinal studies: one from the Netherlands, which contained the most data, and another from Japan, which contained information on approximately 5,000 couples. Both studies spanned years, with the Dutch study collecting data for seven years and the Japanese study tracking their couples for three years.

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Photo by Brodie Vissers on Burst

Researchers found that long-term couples behave and share similar lifestyle habits, such as the types of food they eat and whether or not they smoke. These important lifestyle choices then had an impact on their weight, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and more, making the couples more likely to have the same medical conditions.

The study underscores that while genes are important in determining people’s health and predisposition to a variety of diseases and conditions, lifestyle is just as important, which is why healthy choices are so important. Partners generally encourage each other to lead similar lifestyles, for better or for worse. When used to their advantage, these lifestyle choices could help reduce the likelihood of certain diseases, especially those that occur due to environmental factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

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“Many of the correlations existed between couples with low genetic similarity and high similarity in lifestyle, which indicates the importance of making healthy choices,” explain the study’s authors. They recommend seeking similar medical advice and running a friendly competition that will encourage positive health changes in their daily lives.