{"id":13888,"date":"2025-01-03T11:32:53","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T11:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=13888"},"modified":"2025-01-03T11:32:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T11:32:55","slug":"new-study-finds-loneliness-and-social-isolation-increase-risk-of-major-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/new-study-finds-loneliness-and-social-isolation-increase-risk-of-major-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study Finds Loneliness and Social Isolation Increase Risk of Major Diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Researchers led by Cambridge and Fudan University have discovered how loneliness and social isolation can elevate the risk of major health issues through changes in blood proteins, providing new insight into the importance of social connections for physical health.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interactions with friends and family may play a crucial role in maintaining our health by boosting the immune system and lowering the risk of several diseases, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, according to new research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge and Fudan University in China examined blood samples from over 42,000 adults participating in the UK Biobank to understand the biological mechanisms behind the impact of social relationships on health. Their groundbreaking findings were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41562-024-02078-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Social relationships significantly contribute to our overall well-being. Previous studies have shown that both social isolation and loneliness are linked to poorer health and premature death. However, the underlying biological processes have remained elusive until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By analyzing proteins circulating in the blood \u2014 crucial molecules produced by genes that support bodily functions and serve as drug targets \u2014 the researchers aimed to shed light on how social connections influence health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team categorized participants&#8217; social connectedness using objective measures of social isolation (such as living alone, frequency of social contact and engagement in social activities) and subjective measures of loneliness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their analysis identified 175 proteins associated with social isolation and 26 proteins linked to loneliness, with 85% of the proteins overlapping between the two conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We know that social isolation and loneliness are linked to poorer health, but we\u2019ve never understood why. Our work has highlighted a number of proteins that appear to play a key role in this relationship, with levels of some proteins in particular increasing as a direct consequence of loneliness,&#8221; Chun Shen, a postdoctoral research fellow at Fudan University and a visiting researcher in Cambridge&#8217;s Department of Clinical Neuroscience, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/loneliness-linked-to-higher-risk-of-heart-disease-and-stroke-and-susceptibility-to-infection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further analysis using Mendelian randomization \u2014 a statistical method to explore causal relationships \u2014 identified five proteins whose levels were directly influenced by loneliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> One key protein, ADM, was found to respond to stress and regulate mood-improving hormones like oxytocin. Elevated ADM levels were associated with changes in brain regions related to emotional processing and an increased risk of early death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another protein, ASGR1, was linked to higher cholesterol levels and elevated cardiovascular disease risk. Other identified proteins were found to be involved in insulin resistance, atherosclerosis and even cancer progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jianfeng Feng, a professor of computer science at the University of Warwick, highlighted the potential of this research to revolutionize our understanding of human health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;There are more than 100,000 proteins and many of their variants in the human body. AI and high throughput proteomics can help us pinpoint some key proteins in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in many human diseases and revolutionize the traditional view of human health,&#8221; Fend said in the news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The significance of these findings underscores the role of social connections in health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;These findings drive home the importance of social contact in keeping us well. More and more people of all ages are reporting feeling lonely,&#8221; added Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology in Cambridge&#8217;s Department of Psychiatry. &#8220;That\u2019s why the World Health Organization has described social isolation and loneliness as a \u2018global public health concern.\u2019 We need to find ways to tackle this growing problem and keep people connected to help them stay healthy.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Interactions with friends and family may play a crucial role in maintaining our health by boosting the immune system and lowering the risk of several diseases, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, according to new research. A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge and Fudan University in China examined blood [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-mental-health"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Interactions with friends and family may play a crucial role in maintaining our health by boosting the immune system and lowering the risk of several diseases, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, according to new research. A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge and Fudan University in China examined blood&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13888"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13934,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13888\/revisions\/13934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}