| Title: | Social isolation and 59 common health conditions: insights from observational and genetics analyses |
| Journal: | BMC Medicine |
| Published: | 23 Mar 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41872870/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04784-1 |
Publication 18226
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Abstract
BackgroundThe impacts of social isolation on diverse health conditions and how it contributes to health risks remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations of social isolation with 59 health conditions among older adults.MethodsParticipants from the UK Biobank without baseline diagnosis of the included diseases were selected. Social isolation was assessed with three questions. The 59 health conditions included all-cause mortality, 5 cause-specific mortalities, and 53 diseases. We used an instrumental variable from multivariable common factor GWAS in Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore causal links of social isolation with diseases. Omics analyses were conducted to assess the roles of Olink plasma proteins and metabolomics, and PERM was calculated to evaluate the influence of other factors.ResultsA total of 489,741 individuals [266,706 (54.5%) women; mean age 56.5 years (SD 8.1)] were included. During a median follow-up of 12.5 years, social isolation was uncorrelated with the majority of 59 health conditions. Significantly, it was associated with increased risks of all-cause [adjusted HR (aHR) 1.28, 95% CI 1.25-1.32], 5 cause-specific mortalities (aHR range, 1.18-1.38), and 11 specific diseases (aHR range, 1.08-1.17). Living alone was the strongest item of isolation in predicting mortality (aHR range, 1.18-1.45) and selected diseases. MR analyses offered little evidence to support a causal link between social isolation and these diseases. The proteins involved in these associations are predominantly related to "response to stimulus". Proteomic signatures (PERM, 36%-49%), health behaviours (32%-59%), and socioeconomic factors (22%-42%) were the main explanatory factors linking social isolation to 8 health outcomes.ConclusionsSocial isolation is associated with elevated risks of 17 out of the 59 examined adverse health outcomes, predominantly mortality-related conditions; however, MR analyses indicate an absence of evidence supporting causality for these associations.</p>
10 Keywords
- Aged
- Female
- Genome-Wide Association Study
- Humans
- Male
- Mendelian Randomization Analysis
- Middle Aged
- Risk Factors
- Social Isolation
- United Kingdom
12 Authors
- Sizhi Ai
- Qiqi Wu
- Yu Nie
- Yiliang Ou
- Yu He
- Puiyin Li
- Qi Yong H. Ai
- Hongliang Feng
- Yaping Liu
- Tong Luo
- Jihui Zhang
- Yannis Yan Liang
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 93604 | Life-course risk and protective factors associated with complex diseases |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health