Loneliness Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Disease, Stroke and Infections, Study Finds
Researchers from the UK and China have discovered that loneliness is associated with a higher risk of developing several conditions and diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and infections. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, found that some blood proteins increase as social isolation becomes more pronounced, increasing the risk of developing these conditions.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University, studied blood proteins from over 42,000 adults in the UK Biobank, taking scores for loneliness and social isolation from each participant. They found five proteins with a causal link to loneliness, including some with crucial associations to cholesterol levels and insulin resistance.
One of the proteins, adrenomedullin (ADM), plays a crucial role in responses to stress. Previous research in China showed that pensioners who had regular social contact with others lived longer. Another protein, ASGR1, was associated with loneliness, higher cholesterol, and increased risk of heart disease. Another was associated with insulin resistance, which is a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has described social isolation and loneliness as a “global public health concern” and has urged finding ways to tackle this growing problem. Professor Barbara Sahakian from the University of Cambridge emphasized the importance of social contact in keeping us well, noting that more and more people of all ages are reporting feeling lonely.
The study’s findings provide clues to the biology underpinning poor health among people who are socially isolated or lonely, highlighting why social relationships play such an important part in keeping us healthy.
