Are you single and lonely? Just find a pal to share your feelings, otherwise you might get sick and die young.
Yes, scientists in the United States have uncovered a genetic reason why lonely people have poorer health and are likely to die young -- solitude affects their immune systems.
The researchers from the University of Chicago used a 'gene chip' to look at the DNA samples of isolated people and found those who described themselves as chronically lonely had weaker immune systems.
The findings of the study have been published in Genome Biology journal, which suggest that lonely people can have unhealthy levels of chronic inflammation associated with heart and artery diseases, arthritis and Alzheimer's.
According to lead author Steve Cole, a molecular biologist, "This study shows that the biological impact of social isolation reaches down into some of our most basic internal processes -- the activity of our genes."
In fact, Cole and his team took blood samples and studied the gene activity of the immune system cells -- the white blood cells that protect from viruses and bacteria -- of 14 volunteers before coming to the conclusion.
All 22,000 human genes were studied and compared, and 209 stood out in the loneliest people, the researchers wrote.
'These 200 genes weren't sort of a random mishmash of genes. They were part of a highly suspicious conspiracy of genes. A big fraction of them seemed to be involved in the basic immune response to tissue damage,' Cole said.
Others were involved in the production of antibodies -- the tag the body uses to mark microbes or damaged cells for removal, according to him.
