Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for type 2 diabetes onset: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Ezzatvar, Yasmin; Caballero, Óscar; Duclos-Bastías, Daniel; Yáñez-Sepúlveda, Rodrigo; García Hermoso, Antonio

Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for type 2 diabetes onset: a systematic review and meta-analysis

dc.contributor.author	Ezzatvar, Yasmin
dc.contributor.author	Caballero, Óscar
dc.contributor.author	Duclos-Bastías, Daniel
dc.contributor.author	Yáñez-Sepúlveda, Rodrigo
dc.contributor.author	García Hermoso, Antonio
dc.contributor.department	Ciencias de la Salud	es_ES
dc.contributor.department	Osasun Zientziak	eu
dc.date.accessioned	2025-06-23T16:52:44Z
dc.date.available	2025-06-23T16:52:44Z
dc.date.issued	2025-05-01
dc.date.updated	2025-06-23T16:33:29Z
dc.description.abstract	Aims: This study sought to analyze the association of social isolation and loneliness with the risk of type 2 diabetes onset. Methods: Two authors systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases for studies published until February 2025, assessing the risk of incidence of type 2 diabetes in individuals who are socially isolated or lonely. To quantify the risk of incident diabetes, hazard ratios (HR) for loneliness and social isolation were pooled using a random-effects inverse-variance model with empirical Bayes estimation. Results: Nine prospective cohort studies were included, comprising 1,112,887 individuals (60.5 % female, mean age = 57.1 years), with 50,961 new cases of type 2 diabetes over a mean follow-up of 10.7 years. Loneliness was associated with a 32% increased risk of type 2 diabetes (HR = 1.32 [95 % confidence interval [CI]:1.11–1.57]). Social isolation was linked to a 20% higher risk (HR = 1.20 [95 %CI:1.01–1.43]). The included studies showed fair-to-good methodological quality (mean score: 10.11/14) based on the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Conclusions: Social isolation and loneliness are significant risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Addressing social connectedness could be a valuable strategy for diabetes prevention, emphasizing the need to incorporate psychosocial factors into public health initiatives.	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf
dc.format.mimetype	application/msword
dc.identifier.citation	Ezzatvar, Y., Caballero, Ó., Duclos-Bastias, D., Yáñez-Sepúlveda, R., García-Hermoso, A. (2025) Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for type 2 diabetes onset: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 223, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2025.112124.
dc.identifier.doi	10.1016/j.diabres.2025.112124
dc.identifier.issn	0168-8227
dc.identifier.uri	https://academica-e.unavarra.es/handle/2454/54294
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.publisher	Elsevier
dc.relation.ispartof	Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 223, 2025, 112124
dc.relation.publisherversion	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2025.112124
dc.rights	© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.
dc.rights.accessRights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.subject	Type 2 diabetes	en
dc.subject	Loneliness	en
dc.subject	Social support	en
dc.subject	Social isolation	en
dc.title	Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for type 2 diabetes onset: a systematic review and meta-analysis	en
dc.type	info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dspace.entity.type	Publication
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