COUPLES who stay together get ill together, a study has discovered.
The same health issues may be shared by the couple, which could make it possible for doctors to treat them both.
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Medical boffins found people’s high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease were closely linked to that of their partner.
Couples’ smoking and drinking habits, and their weight and waist size, were also similar.
It meant doctors could judge someone’s risk simply by looking at their partner.
Experts at Tohoku University in Japan said the study of 34,000 couples spotted “significant spousal similarities” in heart health. The links were so strong that both could receive the same healthcare.
A study showed that people were 37% more likely to become obese if they had a partner.
Men’s high blood pressure risk was up to 45 per cent higher if their wife had the condition, and people were up to 59 per cent more likely to get Type 2 diabetes if their spouse had it.
Dr Naoki Nakaya said: “Interventions or preventative measures may be more effective if targeted at both spouses rather than at individuals.”
Dr Nakaya explained reasons for the links could be people naturally hook up with someone with a similar lifestyle. Couples are more likely to eat the same foods and exercise together.