Rikke Lund: "Relaciones sociales como predictores de la longevidad"

Rikke Lund, Department of Public Health and Center for Healthy Aging. University of Copenhagen. Denmark. Social relations have been associated with health and longevity in numerous human population studies, and the scientific evidence for a health protective effect is substantial based on both population and patient based studies from all over the world. Recent meta-analyses have estimated that being socially integrated and having access to sufficient social support is associated with a 60-100% lower mortality in population based studies. Furthermore, studies in clinical settings have shown that survival among cancer patients and patients suffering cardiovascular disease likewise is significantly better among those with access to social contacts and their support. Less focus has been on the inevitable negative aspects of social relations such as conflicts, worries, demands and the association with mortality. In a recent study, we found that stressful social relations were associated with significantly increased mortality among middle-aged men and women. In conclusion, social relations is an important psychosocial factor for human longevity.