Loneliness can really kill you!

Findings of a recent study have linked social isolation to higher risk of death. The study says addressing social isolation holds promise if studies show interventions are effective, as they could be relatively simple and could influence other risk factors, as social isolation is also associated with hypertension, inflammation, physical inactivity, smoking, and other health risks.

Social isolation has been linked to higher mortality in studies comprising mostly white adults, yet associations among black adults are unclear. The study led by the American Cancer Society’s Kassandra Alcaraz, evaluated whether associations of social isolation with all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality differed by race and sex.

Investigators weighted several standard components of social isolation – marital status, frequency of religious service attendance and club meetings/group activities, and number of close friends/relatives – giving a score of 0 (least isolated) or 1 (most isolated) on each of the factors for a total on a 5-point isolation scale. They found overall, race seemed to be a stronger predictor of social isolation than sex; white men and white women were more likely to be in the least isolated category than black men and women. Social isolation score was positively associated with heart disease (CVD) mortality in all subgroups.

Each social isolation component was associated with all-cause and CVD mortality, and all but one (having fewer close friends/relatives) were associated with cancer mortality.