And in today's edition of #LEARNSOMETHING...
Married couples unsurprisingly share many of the same interests and even lifestyle habits. And a new study reveals husbands and wives around the world often share the same medical histories too.
Researchers (Tohoku University) discovered that married couples display a high degree of similarity when it comes to their body shapes, blood pressure, and even the diseases they develop — such as diabetes.
Previous studies show that people tend to gravitate towards others in similar social circles, educational backgrounds, and even similar weights. Scientists call this assertive mating, which means spouses are often genetically similar to their significant other. In the new study, the team examined nearly 5,400 couples in Japan and over 28,000 living in the Netherlands. In both countries, the study finds couples frequently shared similar lifestyle habits and physical traits. These similarities included smoking and drinking habits, weight, waist circumference, and body mass index.
When the study authors delved deeper into their lives, they discovered couples also had very similar blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. In turn, these husbands and wives had many related incidents of hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Researchers say these individuals more often than not share lifestyle choices — leading to similar health outcomes.