Lonely women more likely to develop breast cancer

　　A new study finds that loneliness makes female suffer from breast cancer The chance is more than three times higher than that of ordinary people. Living in isolation also increases the number of tumors, which tend to be larger than those seen in other similar patients. While these findings were made through animal testing, researchers believe they may have implications for humans healthy of great significance.

Prior to this, scientists have discovered that loneliness is associated with dementia, high blood pressure, etc. disease There is contact. They say it's important to consider a person's mental health as well as their physical health. The University of Chicago research team focused on the impact of loneliness, or "social isolation," on the genetic predisposition to develop breast cancer in female mice.

Rats, like humans, naturally love social life and like to be with other companions. The study found that rats living alone had a 3.3 times higher risk of developing breast cancer, a type of breast cancer that is very common in human women, than those kept in cages with groups of five. Studies have shown that under the influence of loneliness, tumors will be larger and more numerous. The number of cancer cells in mice living alone is on average 84 times greater than that in mice living in groups. And the cancer cells can spread to other areas of the breast. What's more, the spread of cancer cells appears to be caused by stress hormones, rather than the sex hormones that normally trigger breast cancer.

Researcher Martha McClintock said: "We need to use these findings to identify potential targets for intervention to reduce cancer morbidity and reduce its psychological and social risk factors. ”Other researchers have warned that loneliness is as harmful to the body as smoking or obesity. They said that separation from family and friends can increase blood pressure and stress, increase the risk of depression, weaken the function of the immune system, and increase the risk of disease.