New research debunks loneliness as primary cause for many ‘non-mental’ diseases

Loneliness—the subjective experience of social disconnection—is now widely regarded as a health risk factor.

However, whether the associations between loneliness and multiple diseases are consistent with causal effects remains largely unexplored.

According to a recent study by a team of medical researchers, an analysis of patient data from various sources suggests that many diseases previously attributed to loneliness are more likely due to other causes.

Link with non-mental health problems

A group of researchers from The Affiliated Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, collaborated with colleagues from The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital in China, and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in the US.

Previous studies have indicated a strong connection between feelings of loneliness and various mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

These findings highlight the significant impact of loneliness on psychological well-being and emphasize the importance of addressing social isolation as a potential risk factor for mental health problems.

Some studies have indicated that stress can have far-reaching effects beyond just mental health. It has been suggested that stress can contribute to physical health problems such as high blood pressure, digestive issues, and even an increased risk of premature death.

In this study, researchers have discovered evidence suggesting that certain health issues previously linked to loneliness are more likely to have other underlying causes.

The researchers thoroughly examined various biomedical databases in their investigation into the potential link between loneliness and non-mental health issues.

These databases contained extensive data on numerous patients from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, providing a broad and diverse dataset for their analysis.

Loneliness alone is not the culprit

According to the researchers, individuals who expressed feelings of loneliness appeared to be more likely to develop 30 out of 56 predetermined health conditions.

The researchers conducted statistical analysis on 26 of the 30 conditions, focusing specifically on patients for whom genetic data was accessible.

The researchers discovered that numerous diseases previously attributed to loneliness were caused or worsened by other factors.

The majority of these occurrences were found to be connected with loneliness rather than being caused by it.

The study finds little evidence for the associations between loneliness and most specific diseases identified in the observational analyses, such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, chronic liver diseases, chronic kidney diseases, and most neurological diseases.

The study added that these observations collectively indicate that loneliness may be a potential surrogate marker but not a causal risk factor for most diseases tested.

The team’s conclusion suggests that loneliness can indeed contribute to various mental health conditions and may also be linked to the development of inflammation and changes in hormone levels, which can result in a range of health issues.

The research indicates that further investigation is necessary to distinguish between health issues linked to loneliness or social isolation and those simply coincidental.