Couples share same heart disease risk factors, study finds

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Risk factors for heart health, such as smoking, unhealthy diets, and minimal physical activity, may seem personal.

But scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital found for people who are married or in a domestic partnership, the behavior patterns of one person may be strongly linked to the patterns of the other.

The research is published in JAMA Network Open and was conducted by Samia Mora et al.

In the study, the team examined heart risk factors and behaviors of more than 5,000 couples.

The team used several metrics to classify people as having ideal or non-ideal risk factors and behaviors.

They found when one member of a couple was in the ideal category, the second member was more likely to be in the ideal category for all factors except for total cholesterol.

But 79 percent of couples were both in the non-ideal category for CV health score, largely driven by unhealthy diet and inadequate exercise.

The team did find that when one partner had quit smoking, lost weight, increased their physical activity, or improved their diet, the other partner was more likely to have done so.

But over the five-year study period, the health of couples, risk factors, and behavior patterns remained relatively unchanged overall.

Apart from modest changes in blood pressure and fasting glucose, the team found no significant changes in factors.

The findings point out the potential importance of addressing healthy behaviors for both people in a relationship.

Rather than thinking about interventions for individuals, it may be helpful to think about interventions for couples or whole families.

And it’s important for people to think about how their health and behaviors may influence the health of the person(s) they are living with. Improving our own health may help others.

If you care about heart disease, please read studies about six unusual signs that you may have heart disease, and this small surgery can prevent strokes in people with heart issues.

For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about chronic itch linked to heart disease, and results showing major weight loss may reverse heart disease risks.

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