We all have felt lonely at some time. Especially during a pandemic, when social interaction is limited. In general, loneliness is often felt by young people, especially Gen Z and millennials. Some people believe that technology has a role in causing loneliness. Not only young people, those who are elderly also often feel lonely.

Not only affecting your mind, but loneliness can also affect your body health. Several studies have proven that loneliness can increase the risk of several health problems, one of which is coronary heart disease. Study results also suggest that loneliness can be a more significant threat to health than obesity. Not only that, another study found that someone who feels lonely has a higher risk of death.

In the previous article, it was mentioned that body mass index (BMI) is a major factor of diabetes. The results of a recent study published in the journal Diabetologia showed that loneliness could be a factor that increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. These results were obtained by analysing the relationship between the perceived loneliness scale from 4112 participants and the risk for type 2 diabetes. During the 12 year follow-up period, 264 participants developed type 2 diabetes.

The results showed that researchers found that loneliness has a significant relationship with the incidence of type 2 diabetes. The same results were also found when they controlled other key factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, body weight, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. In their hypothesis, the researchers linked these results to how the body handles stress. Previously, there were studies showing that loneliness was related to changes in levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in the body. Higher cortisol levels can reduce the body's sensitivity to insulin, causing high blood sugar levels.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Hackett, R.A., Hudson, J.L., and Chilcot, J. (2020). Loneliness and type 2 diabetes incidence: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. Diabetologia, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-020-05258-6.
• Medical News Today - Loneliness associated with diabetes risk (2020). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/loneliness-associated-with-diabetes-risk, 22 September 2020.