Lonely adults may have a higher risk of diabetes, suggests study

Socially isolated older adults are at increased risk of developing diabetes and high blood sugar, according to a study being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

“Social isolation and loneliness have been increasingly recognized as important health risk factors after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings underscore the importance for clinicians to recognize social isolation as a critical social determinant of health when caring for older patients,” said lead researcher Samiya Khan, M.D., of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif. “These findings are especially relevant given the rapidly growing aging population in the United States and globally, alongside the widespread prevalence of social isolation and loneliness among older adults.”

Khan noted that while a few previous studies have explored the connection between social isolation and diabetes, this study is among the first to examine its link to poor glycemic control using a nationally representative sample-data that reflects the broader U.S. population. This makes the findings applicable on a national scale.

Khan and her team analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003-2008. NHANES is a comprehensive survey program designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the U.S.