Overview
- Anglia Ruskin University researchers analyzed 19,774 UK Biobank adults for up to 17 years using an AI digital twin that simulates disease trajectories.
- Loneliness, insomnia, and poor mental health each aligned with an estimated 35 percentage point rise in type 2 diabetes risk, climbing to 78 points when all three were present.
- The authors said the findings show associations from observational data rather than proof that these factors cause the disease.
- They reported a pattern consistent with chronic stress biology that raises cortisol, fuels inflammation, disrupts glucose control, and can steer diets toward saltier and sweeter foods.
- The team called for risk models to add behavioural and mental health measures beyond age, BMI and blood pressure, citing potential gains for the 4.6 million diagnosed in the UK and the 1.3 million likely undiagnosed.