Loneliness harms your metabolism? A breakthrough experiment

The group, which included, among others, prof. Shir Atzil and doctoral student Monia Masalha and Dr. Shai Fuchs conducted a series of experiments in which volunteers ate identical meals twice, once alone and once in the presence of a loved one.

The results were clear: people eating in company experienced smaller spikes in blood sugar levels after meals, and their bodies returned to metabolic balance faster.

Importantly, the positive impact of the presence of a loved one is not limited only to regulating blood sugar levels. Experiments have also shown that being in her company improves the body's ability to maintain normal body temperature during exposure to cold and alleviates stress reactions in both adults and children.

This effect occurred even when participants had no direct physical contact with each other, and the improvement could not be explained solely by reduced stress levels.

Scientists called this phenomenon "social physiology", emphasizing that the human body regulates its functions much more effectively in the presence of other people. As Professor Atzil explains, for a long time it was believed that the human body functions as a closed, self-regulating system. However, there is more and more evidence that our health is closely related to social relationships.

According to the study authors, the collected evidence suggests that "social physiology" is a universal principle of the functioning of the human body. Her discovery could now have far-reaching implications for understanding how interpersonal relationships affect physical health.

Being close to someone we love reduces the amount of energy our body needs to regulate itself. This gives us a direct metabolic benefit from being together and reveals a fundamental evolutionary reason why humans bond at all: our bodies function better together, emphasizes Prof. Atzil.

In light of this information, it is worth paying more attention to the quality and frequency of shared meals with family and friends. You may find that eating together is not only an opportunity to talk and build bonds, but also a simple way to improve your health.

In times of increasing cases of sugar metabolism disorders and diabetes around the world, the results of Israeli scientists may prove very useful. So far, the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders has focused mainly on diet, physical activity and pharmacotherapy. It may turn out that who we eat with may be equally important. Human relationships turn out to have an active, biological impact on our physical health, not just our mental well-being.