Lonely Hearts Have TellTale Genes

Lonely?

clipped from www.google.com Researchers have long known that lonely people are more likely to die from infections, heart attacks, cancer and other diseases than their happier counterparts. But why? A team of UCLA-led researchers are shedding some light on a biological basis for the association with results from a small but provocative analysis of genes. Lead researcher Steve Cole, an associate professor of medicine at UCLA, tells the Health Blog that in the lonely group 78 genes linked to inflammation in the body’s tissues were overexpressed, or more active. Some 131 genes involved in the body’s ability to fight viruses and make antibodies were underexpressed, or less active, in the lonely group.