An American study reveals that loneliness and social isolation may not only affect mental health and quality of life, but may also be linked to the loss of years of disease-free life.
Researchers from the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of General and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University conducted a study, published in the journal Nature Communications, in which they analyzed data from 277,489 adults aged between 40 and 69.
The researchers found that women who experienced both loneliness and social isolation lost approximately 2.4 years of life free from physical illness, compared to 1.7 years for men. The losses related to mental health were even greater, amounting to approximately 3.7 years for women and 5.8 years for men.
The researchers used age 50 as a reference point to measure the number of disease-free years, and the study included seven major chronic diseases: diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, dementia, cancer, depression, and anxiety.
Researchers explain that loneliness and social isolation are not the same concept; social isolation refers to a person’s level of connection and communication with others, while loneliness reflects a personal feeling of dissatisfaction with social relationships, even if the person is surrounded by others.
The study's lead author, Lu Qi, said the findings confirm that loneliness and social isolation can significantly affect life expectancy free from both physical and mental illness.
The study also explored the role of healthy lifestyle habits, such as exercise, a healthy diet, sufficient sleep, and not smoking. The results showed that these habits helped reduce the loss of healthy years of life associated with social isolation, but they did not significantly reduce the risks associated with loneliness.
The researchers believe this indicates a need for diverse interventions to address social isolation and loneliness. In future research, the team plans to study different population groups and conduct clinical trials to gain a more precise understanding of the causal relationship between these factors and health.
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