The influence of loneliness & social isolation on cardiovascular risk factors: a narrative review.

INTRODUCTION

Despite substantial advances in treatment and preventive medicine, heart disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While traditional risk factors have been identified, emerging research continues to underscore the importance of social interactions.

AREAS COVERED: This review examines research on how loneliness and social isolation influence the major risk factors for heart disease. Studies from 2000 up to April 2026 were searched using PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science. The included research focused on loneliness and social isolation, alongside seven primary risk factors such as smoking, stress, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and lack of physical activity, and showed that people who are lonely and socially isolated have approximately a 29% higher chance of developing heart disease. Loneliness and isolation are linked with both physiological and behavioral changes, and many of these relationships are bidirectional, creating feedback loops in which social disconnection and cardiometabolic risk reinforce one another.

EXPERT OPINION: Treating loneliness as a modifiable and deeply integrated risk factor helps patient well-being and long-term health outcomes, and supports more effective clinical care, community health, and policy planning.