Social Loneliness Found to Worsen Arteriosclerosis in Mice

Tokyo, Feb. 9 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese team has found that social loneliness decreases the levels of oxytocin, known as the “happy” or “love” hormone, in mice, resulting in lipid metabolism disorders in the liver and worsening arteriosclerosis.

The team of Keio University researchers and others said that loneliness without social connections contributes to the development of mental illness, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Clinical studies conducted on humans have shown that loneliness increases an incidence of myocardial infarction. But the detailed mechanism of how that happens had not…