Loneliness causes ill-health through proteins

Loneliness (Credit: @chantaldgarcia via Twenty20)

From the Guardian

Loneliness has long been associated with ill health but researchers say they have fresh insights into the link between the two.

While poor health can result in people becoming isolated and lonely, studies have also suggested loneliness can itself lead to poorer health.

Now researchers say they have unpicked a mechanism for the latter relationship, finding loneliness can affect the levels of a handful of proteins associated with various diseases and even death.

Prof Barbara Sahakian, a co-author of the study at the University of Cambridge, said the World Health Organization had declared social isolation and loneliness a major problem in the world. “I think the message is that we’ve got to start to get people to realise that it’s part of a health thing, both for their mental health and their wellbeing but also for their physical health, that they have to remain connected with other people,” she said.

Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers describe how they used data from more than 42,000 participants in the UK Biobank project to explore whether the 9.3% who reported social isolation and 6.4% who reported loneliness had different levels of proteins in their blood compared with those who did not.

After taking into account factors including age, sex, education level, smoking and alcohol consumption, the team found 175 proteins associated with social isolation and 26 proteins associated with self-reported loneliness, many of which overlapped. Most of the proteins were found at higher levels in people who had reported social isolation or loneliness, and are involved in inflammation, antiviral responses and the immune system.

The researchers then studied data that tracked the health of participants over an average 14-year period. “We found around 90% of these proteins are linked to the risk of mortality,” said Dr Chun Shen, the first author of the research, from Fudan University in China. In addition, about 50% of the proteins were linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke.

The researchers then used an approach known as Mendelian randomisation to look at whether people with genetic variants associated with loneliness or social isolation had a greater chance of having higher levels of the proteins of interest. They also looked at whether people with genetic variants that meant they had higher levels of these proteins were more likely to be socially isolated or lonely.

Assuming these variants are spread randomly throughout the population, the approach can shed light on whether levels of the proteins are a driver, or an effect, of social isolation or loneliness.

The researchers found none of the proteins appeared to cause social isolation or loneliness. However, loneliness influenced the levels of five proteins. “We found all these five proteins are related to numerous inflammation and metabolic markers,” Shen said.

Among other findings, these five proteins partly explained the association between loneliness and cardiovascular disease, stroke, and mortality, with four of the five associated with the volume of brain regions involved in emotional and social processes and the brain’s perception of the body’s state.

Shen said while the effects were not large, they were significant, noting that levels of one of the proteins, known as ADM, could explain, on average, about 7.5% of the association between loneliness and the risk of four diseases and mortality.

Prof Marko Elovainio, of the University of Helsinki, who was not involved in the work, said the study strongly supported previous research indicating that loneliness and – to some extent – social isolation were linked to numerous physical health problems, possibly as a result of systemic inflammatory processes induced by stress.

“A significant contribution of this study is that it now elucidates the biological mechanism – proteins – that may be responsible for the observed connections,” he said.

However, Elovainio suggested stress-related health behaviours, such as heavy alcohol consumption and low physical activity, might be an even more significant factor contributing to the health impacts of loneliness, and might also underlie some of the protein level changes flagged in the study.

“How society should … reduce the health risks related to loneliness is the interesting question, and if we want to focus on the mechanisms, the behaviour is probably [an] easier target than proteins,” he said.

Here's the thing:  conventional economics, and capitalism, price everything.   And in their models, friendship, affection, love, caring, fun, joy and companionship have no value.  Their models don't "solve" for high levels of these intangible things which make life worthwhile.  

Neo-liberalism has comprehensively failed. Time for a change in what we value and how we treat each other.

[See also:  How Chronic Loneliness Can Trigger Health Problems;  Shit-life Syndrome; and Loneliness]

Pets and cognitive decline

From Practice Update, by Doctor Jonathan Temte

I talk to our dog; I talk to our cats. Mind you that these are not deep conversations, such as the ones I have with my wife. It turns out, however, that the presence of pets in the house can have profound effects on slowing the verbal cognitive decline in older individuals. There is one catch: you have to be living alone.

Researchers used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which has surveyed and evaluated older adults (aged 50 years and older) since 2002. Pet ownership and living alone were used as variables in the assessments of verbal memory and verbal fluency, as well as a composite estimate of verbal cognition. All in all, nearly 8000 community-dwelling individuals were included in this study.

The participants had a mean age of 66 years and were predominantly White. About 27% lived alone and 35% had a household pet. It should be noted that there were many significant differences in the characteristics of pet owners compared with pet-deficient individuals, and statistical adjustment was necessary during analyses. Overall, pet owners had slower declines in composite verbal cognition, verbal memory, and verbal fluency. Most of this slowing was powered by the effect on individuals living alone. In other words, the benefit of a household pet occurred for individuals living alone; there were no significant effects realized by those living with others. Overall, pet ownership completely offsets the cognitive cost of living alone.

I believe this study underscores something that is all too real about disconnectedness in our modern culture. Loneliness and isolation are significant threats to physical and mental health. Recently, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory on the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country.1 Primary care clinicians need to be aware of this and ask patients specifically about their social networks and feelings of loneliness.

Reaching out to, and building connections with family, friends, and — importantly — others in our communities who are disconnected, is vitally important to health and well-being. And, in some cases, a household pet can be a big benefit. I tell this to my dog and cats all the time.

I read somewhere that loneliness has similar negative health effects to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.  

Our society values money more than friendship, and loneliness is rampant.  We need to change direction.

Loneliness for the old and the poor

In sharp contrast, only a small proportion of the social housing tenants interviewed said they were lonely. Photo: Wolter Peeters

From Domain.com.au:

Loneliness is increasingly recognised worldwide as a critical social issue and one of the major health hazards of our time. Our research shows older private renters are at high risk of loneliness and anxiety.

This is a growing concern as more Australians are renting housing later in life. By contrast, only a small proportion of the social housing tenants we interviewed said they were lonely.

The links between housing arrangements and loneliness could have profound implications for our health. As former US surgeon general Vivek H. Murthy said: “The reduction in life span [for people experiencing loneliness] is similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and it’s greater than the impact on life span of obesity … Look even deeper, and you’ll find loneliness is associated with a greater risk of heart disease, depression, anxiety and dementia.”

Many older private renters have little disposal income, because the cost of housing uses up much of their income. They also live with the constant possibility that they may be asked to vacate their accommodation. Their limited budgets mean they often end up living in a poorly located property. These features, individually or in combination, create fertile ground for anxiety and loneliness.

Their dire financial situation was often an obstacle to social activities. One interviewee told of how she had to choose between food or breaking her isolation by using public transport:

“Well, you sort of think what you can do with $2.50. That’s a loaf of bread type of thing.” – Beverley *

A 72-year-old woman living by herself said she could not afford the outings organised by her church:

“There’s quite an active social club at the church for over-55s but I can’t go to any of those … Sometimes I think it would be nice to go on something that appeals to me, yes. And they might have an afternoon at somebody’s home and you’re asked to bring a plate [of food]. You see, I couldn’t afford to do that.”

Peter, 67 and divorced, had left the workforce prematurely due to ill-health.

“I’ve become very isolated. I used to, before I had the hip operation, I used to play tennis and I loved to play tennis … but I really can’t afford it. I’ve found a few clubs that I could go and play in. I’d like to get back to it, but they say, ‘Ah, the fees are this and you pay it annually,’ and I can’t come up with $150 or $200 or whatever.”

Lack of money and insecure tenure were sources of enormous distress and anxiety, which further discouraged social contact. Brigette (67) was brutally honest:

“You do get depressed and I believe that’s why people suicide … And there have been times when I’ve thought, what is the point to life? I really have thought this can’t go on, you know … I feel sorry for people because it is hard, and once you stay in it’s like crawling out of a slime pit … I have to say, ‘Get up and go out, go up the shops … Pretend you need potatoes or something.’”

Not all of the private renters interviewed experienced loneliness. These interviewees usually had strong family ties or had managed to find affordable and secure accommodation.

In sharp contrast, only a small proportion of the social housing tenants interviewed said they were lonely. Almost all were adamant they did not experience loneliness and felt they had strong social ties. Their affordable rent, security of tenure, long-term residence and having neighbours in a similar position meant they could socialise and were not beset by anxiety.

An 85-year-old long-established social housing tenant’s response to the question about loneliness and isolation was typical:

“I do like it around here. I know where everything is and I know all the people, especially around these units you know. I know everyone and they know me. I like it around here. This is my home, you know. This is a community, I think. Like I know all the people and we’ve become really good friends. I couldn’t think of being anywhere else.” – Kay

Pam, who had been a private renter before being allocated social housing, reflected on how her life had changed:

“Well, it is changed because I’m happier and I think I’m healthier and I have a lot of new friends. I also have a lot more people around me for support if anything does happen. If I get sick and if they don’t see me for a few days someone will come and say, ‘Pam, are you OK?’ In private housing there was nobody.”

The residualisation of social housing meant some tenants were living in what they perceived to be unbearable conditions. However, they generally were able to deal with their situation. Patricia coped with her very challenging neighbours by going to the local community centre:

“No, I hate it [public housing]. I live here [at the community centre] every day. Yes, I’m on the committee here and I do things every day. This is my home, my family. Everybody is friendly with everybody. We have outings and things.”

What the interviews indicate is that the housing tenure of age pensioners often plays a fundamental role in whether they are able to escape the experience of loneliness. Older private renters are far more likely to experience loneliness than their counterparts in social housing and that loneliness can be acute.

* All the names used are pseudonyms.

Alan Morris, Research Professor, University of Technology Sydney and Andrea Verdasco, Research Associate, University of Technology Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The great push by neo-liberals has had lethal consequences.  The money that used to be provided for "council flats" or "social housing" has been used to give billionaires and corporations tax cuts.  The belief that all transactions can be monetised has turned friendship into a financial transaction.  Some economists (not me!) implicitly believe that only marketised relationships matter.  The consequence of all these forces is to make loneliness and stress normal, now.  Neo-liberal capitalism is no longer even delivering rising living standards for the 90%—only the 10% and the 1% are better off despite rising real GDP.  And at the same time, the relentless sanctification of selfishness has made our society much more unpleasant.  Neo-liberalism is a 40 year experiment which has failed.  I don't know what will replace it, but something has to, before the damage is irreparable.  And of course, for those who die of loneliness, it is already un-doable.