Feelings of loneliness are associated with a significantly increased—about twofold—risk of exposure diabetes type 2, shows a new Norwegian scientific study. Previous research has linked mental stress to diabetes. Loneliness, which creates chronic stress, increases the relative risk.

Researchers led by Associate Professor Roger Henriksen of the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences in Bergen, published in the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) journal Diabetologia, analyzed data from 24,024 people, taking into account both diagnosing diabetes and psychological evaluation. the level of loneliness of each person.

Feelings of loneliness were reported by 13% of participants. During the study period (1995-2019), 1179 people, or almost 5%, were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, 59% were men, with an average age of 48 years.

It turned out that those who had a large lonelinesswere twice as likely to develop diabetes compared to those who did not feel lonely at all. The researchers indicated that loneliness should now be included in clinical guidelines for diagnosing type 2 diabetes. They also stated that further research into the biological mechanisms linking loneliness to diabetes is needed.

Link to scientific publication: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-022-05791-6

Source: RES-EMI