Marrying someone with very old parents could cut your risk of type 2 diabetes, study suggests 

Marrying someone with very old parents could reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study suggests.

Researchers have known children born into exceptionally long-living families have levels of biomarkers – molecules found in the blood – linked to a reduced risk of developing the condition.

Their genetic make-up helps their body remain responsive to insulin, which is key to keeping type 2 diabetes at bay.

Their genetic make-up helps their body remain responsive to insulin, which is key to keeping type 2 diabetes at bay.

Now a study has found their spouses, typically not born to long-lived parents, tend to share these biomarker levels.

The University of Pittsburgh in the US looked at 4,000 men and women aged over 90, their children and their spouses.

Some 3.7 per cent of their offspring developed type 2 diabetes over ten years, while 3.8 per cent of their partners did – a rate about 53 per cent lower than the average among middle-aged Americans.

Author Professor Iva Miljkovic said it suggested ‘being married to a member of a long-lived family comes with a metabolic health and survival advantage’.

The study is in the journal Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare.

Source: Daily Mail