April 12, 2024 — Do our brains respond differently to food cues when we’re feeling lonely or socially isolated? New research from UCLA certainly suggests this may be true. Researchers from UCLA published findings in JAMA Network Open last week from an analysis of functional MRI (fMRI) scans of 93 women with varying levels of self-reported social isolation. The women […]
January 23, 2024 — A new study of social isolation in people living with obesity tells us that this might be among the most important complications of obesity. In fact, it points to the possibility that reducing isolation could yield longer lives for people living with obesity. These results are nothing more than the observation of an association. But […]
December 31, 2023 — “We have found a way to soothe the pain of living in this society by stimulating the reward pathway with unhealthy foods just as people do with alcohol and drugs.” This blunt obserservation landed in our inbox with a thud from obesity scientist and clinician Caroline Apovian last week. A counterbalance to the optimistic talk […]
December 24, 2021 — These holidays are supposed to be joyful. But we are into a second year of holidays that are bringing the sorrow of isolation, loneliness, and loss every bit as much as they are bringing joy. The uncertainty of omicron is disrupting joyful plans for many people in this season. So no, this is not our […]
August 8, 2017 — At the annual convention of the American Psychological Association Saturday, Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad warned that feeling lonely may surpass obesity as a health risk. She said: Robust evidence suggests social isolation and loneliness significantly increase risk for premature mortality. The magnitude of the risk exceeds that of many leading health indicators. With an increasing aging […]
