In particular, the researchers observed that healthy seniors living in social isolation were 66% more likely to develop cardiovascular problems. Also, people of the same age that had minimal social support were twice as likely to have the same problems. It is worth mentioning that social isolation involves participating in community activities less than once a month and contact with four or fewer relatives and close friends per month. Social support was defined as having four or more relatives or close friends with whom they could discuss private matters or ask for help. Loneliness was defined as the feeling they had three or more days a week.

In fact, according to research, the risk of cardiovascular disease remained unchanged after taking into account the known risk factors of cardiovascular disease such as age, sex, smoking, systolic blood pressure, good cholesterol levels, creatinine and the use of antihypertensives. The study included 11,498 healthy Australian men and women over the age of 70, for an average of 4.5 years. During that time, researchers recorded 487 non-fatal and 83 fatal cardiovascular events, such as heart disease, heart attack and stroke. According to Dr. Rosanne Freak-Poli of the University of Monash “for the development of effective preventive interventions and a cost-effective policy, we need a clear understanding of the extent to which social isolation, social support and loneliness affect cardiovascular disease and how social health measures are important in identifying the most vulnerable populations for intervention.”