The onset of type 2 diabetes can be linked to the loneliness of a person, according to a recent study. The link could be the impact of constant loneliness on the biological system responsible for stress.
Absence of quality connections with people predicts the onset of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Helping people form and experience positive relationships could be useful to prevent type 2 diabetes. The study is published in //the journal Diabetologia.
‘Loneliness is linked to the onset of diabetes. The link between loneliness and type 2 diabetes could be the impact of constant loneliness on the biological system responsible for stress.’
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A fifth of adults in the UK and a third of adults in the USA report feeling lonely sometimes.
Previous research has associated loneliness with an increased risk of death and heart disease.
The study analyzed data from 4112 adults aged 50 years between 2002 and 2017 from the English Longitudinal Study Ageing.
At the beginning of the study, all participants were free of diabetes and had normal levels of blood glucose.
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The relationship between loneliness and type 2 diabetes remained intact when accounting for smoking, alcohol, weight, level of blood glucose, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. This association was also independent of depression, living alone and social isolation.
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“If the feeling of loneliness becomes chronic,” explained Dr Hackett. “Then every day you're stimulating the stress system and over time that leads to wear and tear on your body and those negative changes in stress-related biology may be linked to type 2 diabetes development.”
Another possible explanation could be biased in our thinking that may perpetuate the association between loneliness and diabetes.
When people feel lonely, they expect people will react to them negatively which makes it more difficult to form good relationships.
Source-Medindia