Researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently found that social loneliness is linked with aging and mortality, indicating that individuals with limited social connection are at a high risk of early death.
The study titled “Association Between Social Isolation With Age-Gap Determined by Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Electrocardiography,” focused on the importance of social connections in maintaining physical and mental well-being as well as extending life expectancy.
The researchers analyzed over 280,000 adults, who sought outpatient care at Mayo Clinic from June 2019 to March 2022, by utilizing an innovative AI-enabled algorithm for estimating biological age through electrocardiograms and comparing it with participants’ actual age. The difference between the two ages was a key factor for determining accelerated or decelerated biological aging. The average chronological age of the participants was 59.8 years.
The participants were selected based on their responses to the Social Network Index or SNI questionnaire, and the availability of a 12-lead ECG record. The questionnaire mainly dealt with details about the participants’ social lives, including their level of social interaction and engagement in community activities.
Within two years of the study, researchers found that the participants with lower SNI scores experienced a higher mortality risk, underscoring the health implications of social loneliness. They also found that participants with the most substantial social network had a 53 percent lower risk of mortality compared to those with the least.
“This study highlights the critical interplay between social isolation, health and aging,” explained Amir Lerman, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and senior author of the paper. “Social isolation combined with demographic and medical conditions appears to be a significant risk factor for accelerated aging. But we also know that people can change their behavior — have more social interaction, exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, stop smoking, get adequate sleep, etc. Making and sustaining these changes may go a long way toward improving overall health.”
However, it is to be noted that the study had some limitations, such as lack of diverse racial representation, challenges of using AI-ECG for age estimation, and most importantly it covered only those participants who sought healthcare at Mayo Clinic, indicating a lack of proper representation of the general population.
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