It’s a known fact that the people we spend our time with influence who we become; however their influence could be more serious than you would have suspected.
A new study revealed that those married to someone with type 2 diabetes are 20% more likely to develop the condition.
Dr Kaberi Dasgupta, from the McGill University Health Centre in Canada, said:
“This may be a platform to assist clinicians to develop strategies to involve both partners. Changing health behaviour is challenging and if you have the collaboration of your partner it's likely to be easier.”
The brains behind the study wanted to see if diabetes in one partner could lead to the other developing the disease as well.
Since behaviors such as poor eating habits and a lack of exercise could be common in a shared household, the results are not surprising.
However, the findings are very worrying, particularly for men who are less likely to go for regular check-ups and have a higher chance of being diagnosed for the disease.
“As a result, men living with a spouse with diabetes history may particularly benefit from being followed more closely,” added Dr Dasgupta.
