Loneliness is worse than smoking for people with diabetes, reveals research

A new study has suggested that loneliness increases the risk of heart disease in patients with diabetes more than diet, exercise, smoking and depression.

Published in the European Heart Journal, the study looked at over 18,500 adults aged between 37 to 73 for a decade. They had diabetes but no record of cardiovascular illnesses.

The study authors found that patients who felt lonely had a 26 per cent higher risk of developing heart disease.

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that may require lifelong treatment. It occurs either when the pancreas do not produce enough insulin (the hormone that regulates blood sugar) or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Raised blood sugar is a consequence of uncontrolled diabetes and if left untreated it can cause serious health conditions.

Eating the right foods and adopting other lifestyle behaviours that promote healthy blood sugar and insulin levels will give you the best chance at avoiding diabetes.

Also watch: Caffeine might not be that bad; may lower risk of diabetes. Know what study says