Loneliness strongly linked to poorer mental health and wellbeing, study finds
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Oct-2026 06:16 ET (26-Oct-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)
People who feel lonely are much more likely to experience poorer mental health and lower wellbeing, a new collaborative study led by the University of Bristol, Nesta and Amsterdam UMC has found. Loneliness was also found to be linked with worse general health, including experiencing multiple health conditions. Social isolation is associated with lower wellbeing, too.
About The Study: A study in JAMA presented Wednesday, July 15, at the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference reports that a blood test measuring phosphorylated tau 217 (P‑tau217) in plasma can help estimate an individual’s risk of developing cognitive impairment over the following 2, 5, and 10 years.
Across six cohorts, higher p-tau217 levels were consistently associated with increased risk of progression to cognitive impairment in cognitively unimpaired older adults, and the association remained significant after adjustment for amyloid PET.
The findings support P‑tau217 as a marker linked to amyloid and tau-related disease processes. If ongoing secondary prevention trials demonstrate that early intervention can delay or prevent cognitive decline, blood‑based biomarkers like P‑tau217 could help identify individuals most likely to benefit, authors note.
However, current Alzheimer’s Association clinical practice guidelines recommend against testing cognitively unimpaired older adults outside research studies or clinical trials.
Authors emphasize that the risk estimates are based on selected research cohorts, with greater confidence in 5‑year than 10‑year projections, and that current models do not fully account for vascular comorbidities or competing risk of death; additionally, P-tau217 may not fully reflect non-Alzheimer contributors to cognitive impairment, such as vascular or other neurodegenerative processes.
This review synthesizes the evolution of aquatic ecosystem health assessment and proposes a paradigm shift from descriptive monitoring to predictive, intelligent governance. Led by Yong Liu from Peking University, the research team introduces a gene-to-landscape framework that integrates multi-omics, environmental DNA, ecological observation, and AI-enabled remote sensing to enable early warning, causal attribution, and anticipatory decision support for freshwater ecosystems under global change.
Schoolchildren in Hong Kong face intense academic demands, with long hours of sedentary study leaving little time for movement. On average, their physical activity falls short of the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day.
A research team at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has addressed this challenge by designing exercise videos and coaching materials in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tracking 119 primary school students and their guardians over two years, the study examined how different forms of guidance and interaction influence children’s motivation to exercise.
Findings revealed that home-based exercise videos boosted MVPA in the short term (by around 6–7 minutes), while parent support strategies grounded in Self-Determination Theory—such as offering choices, giving positive feedback, and encouraging parent-child interaction—helped sustain motivation and meet psychological needs.