Diabetes is a disease that is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Often families have similar lifestyles, and if the lifestyle is poor, it is easy for diabetes to become “contagious” among loved ones. How is diabetes “contagious”? What can we do to prevent diabetes from happening to ourselves and our loved ones? Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Genetic factors determine an individual’s susceptibility to diabetes. If one parent has diabetes, the risk of diabetes in the offspring increases by a factor of one; if both parents have diabetes, the risk of diabetes in the offspring increases more significantly; if a sibling has diabetes, the risk of diabetes increases by a factor of two. Environmental factors, such as obesity, physical activity, diet, and personality traits, may play a more important role in the development of type 2 diabetes than genetic factors. The genetic background between spouses is often not correlated, but they usually have the same or similar environmental exposures, such as shared socioeconomic status, education level, dietary habits, and physical activity level. Spouses with diabetes are associated with higher prevalence of the other half Our research team surveyed 34,805 couples aged 40 years or older in 25 communities across the country from 2011 to 2012. This association was independent of age, education level, family history of diabetes, smoking and drinking status, physical activity, and dietary habits. So, is this “contagion” possible for young couples under the age of 40? In fact, the prevalence of cardiometabolic disease risk factors such as high-fat, low-fiber diet, long-term sedentary lifestyle, psychosocial stress, irregular lifestyle, smoking and alcohol abuse, and environmental endocrine disruptors is more severe in young couples, and the “transmission” of metabolic diseases such as diabetes may also exist, making it even more important to be alert. The need for vigilance is even greater. ”The “contagious” nature of diabetes between couples may have at least one possible cause. “There are at least two possible reasons for this. One is the “right family”, that is, when choosing a spouse, people tend to choose the other half of their family background, education level, economic status, lifestyle habits, etc. closer to them. The other is “husband and wife”, that is, the couple has formed a common life behavior and habits after living together for a long time. Whether it is a “good match” or a “husband and wife”, both reflect the same or similar environmental exposure factors between spouses, which can explain to a certain extent the high correlation between the risk of metabolic diseases in couples. In fact, this effect is not only seen in couples, but also in co-residents (usually family members). Health alert: When a person’s spouse or family member is diagnosed with diabetes, it is even more important for him/her to pay attention to his/her own blood glucose status and actively participate in routine physical examinations for early detection of blood glucose abnormalities that may already exist in him/her. Changing poor lifestyles, eating right and being active are the most effective ways to prevent and treat diabetes.