New research confirms that socializing with friends and family may help protect people from heart attacks, stroke, type 2 diabetes and other conditions and diseases.
The study suggests that social interactions may be as well Maintaining people's health Because these interactions boost the immune system and reduce the risk of disease.
SWNS news agency reported that researchers from the University of Cambridge, along with their colleagues in China, reached these conclusions after studying the protein in blood samples taken from more than 42,000 adults recruited into the UK Biobank.
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The study team said that social relationships play a major role in well-being.
Professor Barbara Sahakian, from the University of Cambridge's Department of Psychiatry, said: “These findings underscore the importance of social connection in maintaining our health. More and more people of all ages are feeling lonely,” SWNS noted.
A new study suggests that socializing with friends and family may help protect people from heart attacks, stroke, type 2 diabetes and other conditions and diseases. (iStock courtesy of user skynesher)
“That's why the World Health Organization has described social isolation and loneliness as a global public health concern… We need to find ways to address this growing problem and Keep people connected To help them stay healthy.”
Evidence increasingly shows that it is both Social isolation and loneliness The same source reported that these diseases are associated with deteriorating health and premature death. But the news agency also said that the underlying mechanisms through which social relationships influence health have so far remained elusive.
“We need to find ways to keep people connected to help them stay healthy.”
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy had earlier warned of the health risks of loneliness, Fox News Digital previously reported.
“Loneliness is a common feeling that many people feel,” he said when issuing advice nearly two years ago on the subject, according to the Associated Press. “It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when it's missing something we need to survive.”
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“He also said at the time: “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that's not right. That's why I issued this advice to bring down the curtain on a struggle that so many people are suffering from.”
Researchers associated with the new study noted that one way to explore biological mechanisms is to look at proteins circulating in the blood. Proteins, which are molecules produced by genes, are essential to help the human body function properly.
It can also be useful Drug targetsThis allows scientists to develop new treatments to treat diseases.
“Social relationships play an important role in maintaining our health,” said one of the scientists linked to the new study. (Istock)
The Cambridge team and scientists at Fudan University in China examined the “proteins”, or group of proteins, in blood samples donated by more than 42,000 British adults between the ages of 40 and 69 years.
This allowed them to see what proteins were present at higher levels among people who were socially isolated or lonely, and what those proteins were Associated with poor health“, SWNS said.
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The team calculated social isolation and loneliness scores for individuals participating in the study, which was published in Nature Human Behavior, a monthly peer-reviewed journal.
The team said social isolation is an objective measure that depends, for example, on whether people live alone, how often they come into contact with others, and whether they participate in social activities.
“We know that social isolation and loneliness are linked to poor health, but we don’t yet understand why.”
In contrast, loneliness is a subjective measure based on whether an individual feels lonely.
When the researchers analyzed the proteins and adjusted for factors including age, gender, and socioeconomic background, they found 175 proteins associated with social isolation and 26 proteins associated with loneliness.
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The team said that many of the proteins are produced in response to inflammation and viral infections and as part of immune responses. They also showed links to… Cardiovascular diseasesType 2 diabetes, stroke and early death.
One of the researchers said that the results “confirm the importance of social communication in maintaining our health.” (Istock)
The researchers then used a statistical method to explore the causal relationship between social isolation and loneliness on the one hand, and proteins on the other hand.
Through this approach, they identified five proteins that were found to be abundant during periods of loneliness.
“We know that social isolation and loneliness are linked to poor health, but we've never understood why,” said Dr. Chun Chen of Harvard University. Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge and the Science and Technology Institute for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University.
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“Our work has highlighted a number of proteins that appear to play a key role in this relationship, with increased levels of some proteins in particular as a direct result of loneliness,” he said.
Professor Jianfeng Feng from the University of Warwick said: “There are more than 100,000 proteins and many of their variants in the human body… Artificial intelligence and high-throughput proteomics It can help us identify some essential proteins in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of many human diseases and revolutionize the traditional view of human health.
“AI and high-throughput proteomics can help us identify some key proteins in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in many human diseases.” (Istock)
He also said: “The proteins we identified give us clues to the biological factors that underpin poor health among people who are socially isolated or lonely, highlighting why social relationships play an important role in maintaining our health.”
One protein that is produced at higher levels as a result of loneliness is ADM.
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Previous studies have shown that ADM plays a role in the stress response and in the regulation of stress hormones and social hormones. Such as oxytocin – Known as the “love hormone” – which can reduce stress and improve mood.
The team found a “strong” association between the ADM and the size of the insula, which is the brain's center for interoception, the ability to sense what's happening inside the body.
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The higher the ADM levels, the smaller the area.
Higher ADM levels have also been linked to decreased volume of the left caudate area, an area involved in emotional, reward and social processes. Higher levels of ADM have also been linked to an increased risk of dying at an early age.
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Another protein, ASGR1, is linked to high cholesterol and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease – while other identified proteins play roles in the development of insulin resistance, and the 'coating' of arteries and muscles, the researchers said. Cancer development.
Fox News Digital's Melissa Ruddy contributed reporting.
