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Loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 31 percent

2024-10-11 19:15:00, Shëndeti CNA

Loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 31 percent

A new study finds that constant loneliness affects the aging of the brain and significantly increases a person's chances of dementia.

The research, funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health, tracked self-reports of loneliness and neurological health of more than 600,000 people worldwide.

The study found that loneliness was associated with a 31% increase in the likelihood that a person would go on to develop any form of dementia. Loneliness also increased people's chances of cognitive impairment by 15%.

According to study co-author Dr Páraic Ó Súilleabháin, of the University of Limerick, Ireland, "These are very important findings and show that loneliness is a very important risk factor in the future development of dementia."

In 2023, US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy released a report on loneliness and isolation among Americans, labeling it an "epidemic." The effects of loneliness on physical and mental health are already well known.

"Our lab has found that loneliness is critical to future health in a variety of ways, including our lifespan — that is, how long we live," noted Ó Súilleabháin, who directs the Personality, Individual Differences and Biological Health Laboratory at the Irish university. .

"Loneliness is extremely important for cognitive health, as loneliness leads to the later development of dementia, vascular dementia, Alzheimer's disease and more general cognitive impairment," he explained.

He called the new study "a very important piece of research that will have far-reaching consequences."

The study was led by Dr. Martina Luchetti, from the Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee.

Speaking in a University of Limerick news release, she said there was a silver lining to the study: Loneliness is a modifiable risk factor.

"There are different types and sources of loneliness that can affect cognitive symptoms across the dementia continuum," Luchetti said. "Treating loneliness by promoting a sense of connectedness may be protective for cognitive health in later life."/ CNA





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