Once again about the dangers of loneliness

"The Attic" 

Experts from the University of Chicago and the University of California at Los Angeles found that loneliness has a negative effect on human immunity, and found out the mechanism of this effect.

The work of Cole et al. Myeloid differentiation architecture of leukocyte transcriptome dynamics in perceived social isolation is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Previous studies have indicated that loneliness contributes to the development of chronic diseases, thereby increasing the risk of premature death. In the new work, the researchers note that the molecular mechanisms of the relationship between loneliness and health have not yet been sufficiently studied, and put forward their own hypothesis. According to her, instead of fighting various viruses, the body of lonely people throws all its strength into fighting the stress caused by the state of loneliness. Accordingly, the body has much less resources to repel pathogen attacks. 

Scientists conducted an experiment in which 141 people aged 50 to 68 years took part. Experts analyzed how genes work in the white blood cells of the immune system (leukocytes), which help prevent infection. It turned out that in comparison with those who have a family, lonely people have much more active genes in their leukocytes that are responsible for the inflammatory response. At the same time, the genes that are necessary to fight viruses, on the contrary, were suppressed.

Thus, the body of lonely people is in a more vulnerable state, endangering human health and increasing the risk of premature death.

Early studies have already indicated that loneliness has a negative effect on health. So, in February 2014, American researchers found that elderly single people have a 14% increased risk of premature death. However, experts have found the probable cause of such a connection only now.

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26.11.2015