Social isolation, loneliness, and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Social isolation and loneliness are forms of social disconnection that have been linked to increased risk of many metabolic disorders, including Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). However, evidence to support this relation is lacking. This study aims to investigate the association between social isolation, loneliness, and the incidence risk of T2DM. Methods: We searched various electronic databases including MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Google scholar to retrieve qualitative studies comparing the incidence of T2DM in patients with social isolation or loneliness. We performed statistical analysis on RevMan 5.4 using the random effect model. Results: Loneliness was associated with a significantly increased incidence of T2DM (OR: 1.44; 95 % CI: 1.19-1.73; P:0.0001), with high heterogeneity (I-2 = 95 %). Sensitivity analysis indicated potential variability due to differences in loneliness measurements. Social isolation also showed a significant association with T2DM (OR: 1.88; 95 % CI: 1.38-2.58; P:<0.0001) with high heterogeneity (I-2 = 98 %). Conclusion: In conclusion, we found social isolation and loneliness are independently associated with a higher incidence of T2DM. These findings underscore the need to address psychosocial elements like social isolation and loneliness in the management of T2DM. However, further studies with larger sample sizes, longer follow-up durations, and uniform criteria is warranted to better understand the association between social isolation, loneliness and T2DM.