Positive Social Relationships Relate to Lower Levels of Inflammation, But There's One Small Catch...

"Although positive social relationships are assumed to relate to lower levels of chronic systemic inflammation," write Tiao Jiang and co-authors in the study's introduction, "the empirical evidence on this association is mixed." Their research was an attempt to help clarify this evidence by relying on longitudinal data compiled from self-reported questionnaires.

Their study, published this month in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, compiled data from 1,054 healthy adults between the ages of 34 and 84, all of whom were involved in the US National Survey of Midlife Development. Study participants answered questions about:

• Their level of "social integration," e.g., how often they attended social events and whether they lived with a partner
• How much they believed they could rely on friends, family, or a spouse if they needed help
• Their sociodemographic information and relevant health information

Importantly (and what sets this study apart from similar research), participants were also asked to rate their "perceived support-giving," which the authors defined as the belief that one can be available to give social support to others.

At a two-year follow-up, the participants returned to provide blood samples, which were used to test for the levels of a systemic inflammatory biomarker known as interleukin-6 (IL-6). Higher levels of IL-6 have been associated with a wide range of chronic diseases, ranging from cancer to heart disease to Alzheimer's.

After accounting for confounding factors like pre-existing medical conditions, education and income levels, age, and health behaviors, the researchers discovered that simply having good social support from others isn't necessarily enough to lower inflammatory markers. What DID show a statistically significant correlation, however, was the relationship between IL-6 levels and perceived support-giving.

As the authors put it: "positive social relationships are associated with lower IL-6 only for individuals who believe they can give more support in those relationships."

Admittedly, as far as a "catch" goes, this seems like a pretty good one: your social life can boost your health, but only if you make yourself available to help other people... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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