Loneliness linked to heart disease

Latest News from Britain: The social pain of loneliness produces changes in the body that mimic the aging process and increase the risk of heart disease, a new study has found. As people get older, their cardiovascular functions diminish - but loneliness appears to accelerate the process, explained researchers at Cornell.

For the study researchers investigated 182 men - split between 18-30-year-olds and 65-80-year-olds, who were asked to perform a speech and complete some mental arithmetic in a laboratory.

The men were given blood pressure readings before, during and after the test, and assessed about their social bonds. As expected, older adults had higher resting blood pressure, greater cardiovascular stress reactivity and longer cardiovascular recovery times compared with younger adults...Read more