A study conducted in the United States concluded that loneliness may increase the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes.

Edited by| Tony Wild

Health  section -  CJ journalist

World - July,8,2023

The scientists who conducted the research found that the loneliness felt by a person is a greater risk factor for coronary heart disease - a condition in which the blood vessels that feed the heart narrow or clog - than the risk of a bad diet, lack of exercise, smoking, or depression.

The results of the research, published in the "European Heart Journal" European Heart Journal, indicate the importance of moral social relationships in maintaining good health.

Study author Professor Lu Qi from the school of Public Health and Tropical Medicine School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in the US state of New Orleans, said: "it seems that the quality of social communication is more important than the number of people he communicates with for the heart health of diabetics.

He added: "We must not underestimate the impact of loneliness on physical and emotional health . In return, I would like to appeal to diabetics who feel lonely, to think about joining educational groups or classes, and try to build friendships with people who have common interests,"he said.

For the purposes of the study, the researchers examined data obtained from the "biobank" Biobank in the UK - an online database of medical records and lifestyle records, of more than half a million Britons - belonging to more than 18 thousand adults, ranging in age from 37 to 73 years. All of these people had diabetes but no heart disease at the start of the decade-long study.

The authors of the study used questionnaires to assess loneliness in individuals, and other factors that may affect relationships, such as the BMI Index" body mass index", physical activity, diet, alcohol intake, smoking practice, medications, blood pressure, cholesterol, and the extent of sugar control.

It turned out that over the course of more than 10 years, more than 3 thousand people have developed heart disease, including coronary heart disease or stroke.

The researchers noted that people with the highest levels of loneliness had a 26 percent higher risk of heart disease, compared to individuals with low levels of loneliness.

The research team also found that loneliness is a risk factor for heart disease, and its impact exceeds that of other factors such as an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, smoking, or even depression. However, it was noted that the effect of loneliness is significantly less in the event of impaired renal function, high cholesterol in the blood, and"body mass index".

Professor Che stressed that "loneliness ranks higher as a predisposing factor for cardiovascular diseases, compared to many lifestyle-related habits".

 "We also found that for people with diabetes, the consequences of physical risk factors (such as poor blood sugar control, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, impaired kidney function) were greater in people who were lonely, compared to those who were not,"he added.

"The results suggest that asking people with diabetes whether they feel lonely should become part of the normal assessment criteria, so that those affected should be referred to mental health services,"he concluded.

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