Social Isolation and Loneliness Could Contribute to Inflammation and Unhealthy Behaviors
Although the study wasn’t designed to look at why loneliness and social isolation could take a toll on health, Dr. Qi points to previous studies indicating that loneliness and isolation may affect biological function and metabolism factors, such as inflammation.

“Loneliness and social isolation could also affect behaviors, including more drinking and smoking and less exercise, which lead to changes that subsequently impact health in humans,” he says.

People With Obesity Face Additional Social Barriers
People with obesity face social barriers and biases that people without obesity don’t experience, says Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, an associate professor of at Harvard Medical School and an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Stanford was not involved in the study.

“Unfortunately, persons with obesity are unfairly judged based on their appearance. This does not bode well for their social environment and engagements because people assume they are lazy, undisciplined, or careless because of their appearance,” says Dr. Stanford.

Anti-fat bias may hamper the ability of a person with obesity to make social connections, says Stanford. A person with obesity may withdraw from situations where they may have to eat in front of others, for instance, or engage in physical activities in a group, because they may be self-conscious about how others perceive them in these situations, Stanford says.

“But others [without obesity] can go into these situations without being judged,” Stanford points out.

Loneliness and Social Isolation Impact the Health of People Without Obesity, Too
The study findings are supported by previous research conducted in the general populations, which also found links between social isolation and loneliness and early death, wrote the authors.

This includes a study from Finland that showed social isolation was related to a 26 percent increased risk of all-cause mortality in the general population when separately adjusting for income, education, genetics, depressive symptoms, cognitive performance, and health-related behaviors.

Another study, which used data from the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD), indicated that social isolation and loneliness were associated with an increased all-cause mortality risk.

Expert Tips on How to Deal With Isolation and Loneliness
In a worldwide Gallup poll that included more than 140 countries, nearly 1 in 4 adults reported being “very” or “fairly” lonely. In May of last year, the former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, announced an advisory to address what he called “the epidemic of loneliness and isolation” affecting the country.

Top tips from the advisory for alleviating loneliness and isolation include:

Invest time in nurturing your relationships. Take time each day to reach out and connect with a friend or family member.
Minimize distraction during conversation. An example: When you’re having a meal or important conversation, don’t check your phone.
Be responsive, supportive, and practice gratitude. There’s evidence that practicing gratitude can help with feelings of loneliness.
Seek help when you are struggling. Reach out to a friend, family member, counselor, or healthcare provider or call the 988 crisis line.
For her patients with obesity, Stanford recommends seeking out people who recognize that “you are more than your size.”

“You are human, and you deserve respect at all times,” she says.