Health Study: Loneliness Increases Heart Disease, Stroke Risk and Weakens Immune System

Loneliness is bad for you and spending time with friends and family might be good for your health in more ways than you think. New research suggests that social connections can strengthen your immune system and lower your risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Scientists reached this conclusion after studying blood samples from more than 42,000 adults in the UK Biobank. Their findings appear in the journal

Social relationships are vital to our well-being, with growing evidence showing that both social isolation and loneliness are associated with poorer health outcomes and a higher risk of early death. Despite these findings, the biological mechanisms linking social connections to health remain unclear.

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One approach to uncovering these mechanisms is by examining proteins circulating in the blood. Proteins, produced by our genes, play a crucial role in maintaining bodily functions and can serve as valuable drug targets. This makes them a key focus for researchers developing new treatments for various diseases.

A team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, UK, and Fudan University, China, examined the ‘proteomes’ – the suite of proteins – in blood samples donated by over 42,000 adults aged 40-69 years who are taking part in the UK Biobank. This allowed them to see which proteins were present in higher levels among people who were socially isolated or lonely, and how these proteins were connected to poorer health.

The team calculated social isolation and loneliness scores for individuals. Social isolation is an objective measure based on, for example, whether someone lives alone, how frequently they have contact with others socially, and whether they take part in social activities. Loneliness, on the other hand, is a subjective measure based on whether an individual feels lonely.

While distinguishing between social isolation and loneliness, researchers analyzed participant proteomes, adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic background. They found a significant overlap in the associated proteins: of the 26 proteins linked to loneliness, approximately 85% were also associated with social isolation (with 175 proteins total linked to social isolation). Many of these proteins are known to play a role in inflammation, immune responses, and viral infection, and have also been linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and early mortality. Using Mendelian randomization, the team identified five proteins whose abundance was caused by loneliness.

Professor Jianfeng Feng from the University of Warwick said: “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.

“The proteins we’ve identified give us 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.”

One of the proteins produced in higher levels as a result of loneliness was ADM. Previous studies have shown that this protein plays a role in responding to stress and in regulating stress hormones and social hormones such as oxytocin – the so-called ‘love hormone’ – which can reduce stress and improve mood.