Can Chronic Loneliness Affect Human Health?

There is definitely no shortage on the amount of studies indicating that lonely people may be at risk of increased infectious diseases, diseases in connection with the cardiovascular system, many chronic diseases and possibly cancer. Then I found an article named “Lonely White Cells."[1] In it, the author makes references to a recent study published jointly by researches from UCLA, University of Chicago, and the University of Texas, Galveston.

The original work is published in its entity online at Genome Biology.[2] The researchers were trying to look at patterns of gene activation in the white blood cells of six chronically lonely and eight non-lonely middle-aged adults. Study leader, Steve Cole from UCLA, Los Angeles, summed up the findings in the following way: “…biological impact of social isolation reaches down into some of our most basic internal processes."

More specifically, the lonely group of people had much more or less activity in 208 genes than the same genes in the “not lonely” individuals. The genes identified to behave abnormally in the immune system, or more specifically, in lonely people’s white blood cell (leukocyte) gene expression are attributed to inflammation, virus response, and antibody production.

The researchers found that increased gene expression was involved in “genes controlling basic cellular transcription processes, cell cycle progression, pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling, and prostaglandin synthesis.[3] Under-expressions in the genes of lonely people’s white blood cell was observed in “type I interferon response genes involved in innate antiviral resistance, and genes supporting antibody production and mature B lymphocyte function.[4]

What this does to the immune system in the very sterile terms of the researchers: "...a complex pattern of host resistance alterations in social isolates, including increased risk of inflammation-mediated disease accompanied by decreased resistance to viral infection and impaired humoral immune response..."[5] Or in layman's terms: The immune system might be severely impaired and unable to do its job in chronically lonely people.

Could it be, that this study is yet another indicator showing that there might be actually quite a bit more to acute or chronic diseases, than a simple antigen or a virus gone array? This research might offer a glimpse into why some people get a certain disease while others, exposed to the same environment or risk factor, do not?

Armed with this information, "reach out and touch someone" takes on a whole new meaning, especially around Christmas time. It might be good for the person being reached out to and touched by having a "clinical significant" impact on their immune system and overall health!

In my next post I will show, that reaching out might be pretty healthy for the person doing the reaching out. More on that in "Health benefits in Volunteerism?"

Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis,

Werner

References

1. "Lonely white cells.(IMMUNOLOGY)(Brief article)." Science News 172.14 (Oct 6, 2007): 222(1). General OneFile. Gale. LIRN. 2 Dec. 2007. Gale Document Number:A169754116

2. Cole S., Hawkley L., Arevalo J.,Sung C., Rose R., Cacioppo J. “Social regulation of gene expression in human leukocytes.” (2007). Genome Biology 2007, 8:R189doi:10.1186/gb-2007-8-9-r189. Last accessed: December 2, 2007. http://genomebiology.com/2007/8/9/R189#B1

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Comments

[Michael]

This is a fascinating insight. I love studies like this, they make my head spin with wonder. I'm glad you shared it.

[Dale Roach, OMD, L.Ac]

This was a very interesting article. I do believe the connection between Chronic Loneliness and health

I have a patient that suffers from stage 4 colon cancer with mets to her lungs. After recently deciding to stop her chemo regimen she developed a chronic cough. she visted her oncolgist and her ENT and they both could not find a connection between the cancer and the cough. I treated her with both acupuncture and herbs I had minor success but the cough still persisted. Recently the womens family came to vist her with in two days the cough had improved. Then it dawned on me maybe she was lonely and depressed and having her family there was the best medicine of all to stop the cough. Her cough has improved.

[Werner Absenger]

Michael, Dr. Roach,

the truly amazing part is that we are just starting to skim the surface with psychoneuroimmunology or as Webster defines it: the field of medicine that deals with the influence of emotional states (as stress) and nervous system activity on immune function especially in relation to their effect on the onset and progression of disease.

Thanks for commenting.

Beste Gesundheit,

Werner