Loneliness not only affects men's mental health but their bones, too!!

"Social isolation is a potent form of psychosocial stress, and is a growing public health concern, particularly among older adults who feel lonely and left out most of the time.

Loneliness is not just bad for men's mental health, it may be bad for their bones, too, according to a new study. And while social isolation may have a negative impact on the bone health of men, this is not true of women, the researchers found. The study was presented on Sunday at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Rebecca Mountain said "Even prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly increased the prevalence of isolation and loneliness, researchers have been concerned about a rising ‘epidemic of loneliness,'" as SWNS reported.

In the study, researchers exposed adult mice to social isolation — meaning one mouse per cage — or grouped housing, with four mice per cage — for four weeks. The scientists found that social isolation caused significant reductions in bone quality, including reduced bone mineral density, in the male mice — but not the female mice.

The study concluded that "isolated male mice had signs of reduced bone remodeling represented by reduced osteoblast numbers [cells that form new bones], osteoblast-related gene expression and osteoclast-related gene expression. However, isolated females had increased bone resorption-related gene expression, without any change in bone mass." Future study is needed to understand how these findings translate to human populations."

Reference: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/loneliness-hurts-not-just-mens-mental-health-may-hurt-bones-study