HEALTHY LIVING Loneliness Accelerates Aging


Being socially isolated can shorten your life. :: BY LYNN C. ALLISON


W


e now know loneliness can negatively affect our health, including


an increased risk for dementia, depression, and even heart disease. The U.S. surgeon general reports


that as many as one in two adults in America admit to experiencing loneliness, which has the same health consequences as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. And now, researchers have


discovered that being lonely and socially isolated makes you biologically older than your chronological years and can shorten your life. The new study by Mayo Clinic


scientists discovered a significant connection between social isolation and biological aging and mortality risk. The research, published in the Journal of the American College


of Cardiology, suggests that social interactions should be considered in medical assessments and interventions. While previous studies have highlighted how social isolation can lead to poorer health, higher medical expenses, and increased hospitalization rates, the Mayo Clinic researchers delved into researching how social isolation might accelerate biological aging, using an innovative AI-enabled algorithm for estimating biological age though electrocardiograms. For the study of 280,000 men


Previous research shows that optimism is


associated with increased longevity and reduction of cardiovascular events.” — Amir Lerman, M.D.


and women with an average age of 60, researchers scored participants’ social activity based on belonging to a club or organization, keeping in touch with friends and family, attending religious services, and other activities. They found that the study participants with higher social index scores had younger biological ages, and individuals who were socially isolated were physiologically older than their actual age. Amir


Lerman, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and senior author of the study, says that biological age is not just a number. Having a higher biological age increases your chance of suffering a major


80 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | JANUARY 2025


cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, and to die prematurely, the study revealed.


SOCIAL INTERACTION Lerman tells Newsmax that it is not known exactly how emotional well- being and social interaction lead to the reduction of cardiovascular events. “However, several studies have demonstrated that social interactions may lead to the release of certain substances in the body, such as those that reduce systemic inflammation, which may reduce cardiovascular events,” he says. “The well-being from social


interaction is also associated with optimism. Previous research shows that optimism is associated with increased longevity and reduction of cardiovascular events.” The new study confirms the


findings of the surgeon general’s advisory that loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of premature death by 26%. In addition, poor or insufficient


social connection is associated with increased risk of disease, including a 29% increased risk for heart disease and a 32% higher risk for stroke.


CONNECT WITH OTHERS Nikki Davis, a Florida-based clinical psychologist, says that people who are struggling with loneliness or social isolation should seek activities that they find enjoyable. “Take small steps on your own


if you feel it’s too difficult to join a group of people right now,” she tells Newsmax. “By engaging in pleasant


activities such as walking through a beautiful park at the same time every day, you’ll find yourself in spaces with like-minded people where new connections can organically occur.”


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