Loneliness is public health problem, which raises risk of stroke and heart disease
We’re big fans of preventive health actions. Reducing rural loneliness is a key and worthwhile challenge. This article tells us:
Loneliness raises the risk of stroke significantly and should be treated as a public health problem like smoking or overeating, researchers have said.
In the biggest review into the subject ever carried out, the University of York looked at 23 studies involving 181,000 people for up to 21 years.
They found that lonely people are around 30 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke or heart disease, two of the leading causes of death in Britain.
“The main finding of our review, that isolated individuals are at increased risk of developing CHD and stroke, supports public health concerns over the implications of social relationships for health and well-being,” said Dr Nicole Valtorta, Department of Health Sciences of the University of York.