UL researcher part of international team that finds loneliness ‘predicts future risk of dementia’

A groundbreaking new study involving researchers at University of Limerick has found that loneliness can predict a future risk of dementia.

The new international study involving more than 600,000 people worldwide finds that that loneliness appears to predict future dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and cognitive impairment.

The research, which has just been published in the world leading journal Nature Mental Health, sheds new light on the future health impact of loneliness.

The study, which comprised of more than 608,561 people around the world who were followed over time, reviewed all existing literature and included new longitudinal data spanning several continents.

The results suggest that increased levels of loneliness appear to lead to an increased risk of future dementia.

The research team found that feeling lonely increases risk for dementia by 31% and increases risk for cognitive impairment by 15%.

This is the most comprehensive study indicating loneliness is linked to future risk of dementia to date and the research impact is considerable, as Dr Páraic S Ó Súilleabháin, an Associate Professor of Psychology at UL’s Department of Psychology, who contributed to the study, explained.

“These are very important findings and indicate that loneliness is a critically important risk factor in the future development of dementia,” said the UL researcher.

“It provides a solid basis for future intervention work and adds to other research we have conducted examining the effect of loneliness on future health. This is a groundbreaking piece of research that will have significant impact.”

Dr Ó Súilleabháin, who is Director of the Personality, Individual Differences and Biobehavioural Health Laboratory and member of the Health Research Institute at UL, explained: “Our laboratory has found that loneliness is critical to future health in a variety of different ways, including our longevity - i.e. how long we live. This huge and incredibly thorough study now adds a huge piece of the puzzle why this is the case.

“That is, loneliness is critically important for cognitive health, in that, loneliness leads to the future development of, dementia, vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and more general cognitive impairment. This is a very important piece of research which will have far reaching consequences.”

Supported by the NIH National Institute on Aging, the study was led by Dr Martina Luchetti from the College of Medicine at Florida State University. In addition to Dr Ó Súilleabháin at UL, this work was conducted in collaboration with others from Florida State University, the University of Geneva, Wenzhou Medical University, and the University of Montpellier.

Lead author Dr Luchetti explained: “There are different types and sources of loneliness that can affect cognitive symptoms across the dementia continuum. Addressing loneliness promoting a feeling of connectedness could be protective for cognitive health in later life.”