Hi readers,
This week, I came across an interesting study that suggests that reducing social isolation among people who are obese lowers their risk of dying prematurely.
Social isolation, generally defined as a lack of relationships and human contact, is known to have significant effects on our health, with research suggesting that frequently seeing friends and family may cut the risk of an early death.
People with obesity may be particularly vulnerable to social isolation as they often face weight-based discrimination. A 2019 study found that among people with obesity, those who experienced discrimination or had greater internalised biases about weight themselves were more likely to feel lonely.
Now, Jian Zhou at Tulane University in Louisiana and his colleagues have collected data on social isolation and mortality from almost 400,000 people, of whom about 93,000 had obesity. After accounting for factors such as age, sex, physical activity levels and any other underlying health conditions, the team found that people with obesity who didn’t experience social isolation were about 25 per cent less likely to die over the 12-year study period than those who were socially isolated.
That’s not particularly surprising given that previous research has linked social isolation to a shorter lifespan in people more broadly, but what did catch my attention was the finding that reducing social isolation among people with obesity may lead to greater improvements in longevity than in people without the condition.
The researchers found that going from the highest to the lowest levels of social isolation – assessed according to whether they lived alone and how often they saw loved ones or participated in social activities – decreased the risk of dying during the study period by almost 35 per cent among people with obesity, compared with less than 10 per cent for those without the condition.
This would suggest that targeting social isolation may extend the lives of those with obesity. But before we start recommending such interventions, we need a randomised-controlled trial – the best kind of medical evidence – to prove that’s the case. Such a trial could have one group of people with obesity participate in social activities, such as joining a book club or volunteering, while the other group doesn’t, and then monitor their subsequent health outcomes.
Carrying out a trial like this would be no easy feat. Assessing whether a lifestyle habit extends someone’s life requires a large group of participants and a long follow-up period. It may also be unethical to deprive the second group of social connections if that’s what they’re craving.
When it comes to unpicking how social isolation can affect our health, studies have linked loneliness to inflammation, which is similarly increased in obesity. People with obesity may also have a physical disability or walking impairment that hinders their ability to meet up with loved ones.
It could also be a vicious cycle, with research suggesting that social isolation can lead to further weight gain.
Even if reducing social isolation doesn’t improve obesity-specific health outcomes, encouraging people to regularly spend time with people they care about seems like good advice, with no dangerous side effects. And it doesn’t have to be daunting. Even short interactions with fleeting acquaintances can help alleviate feelings of loneliness, as discussed in this article.
