AI Study Links Loneliness and Poor Mental Health to Higher Diabetes Risk
Digital twin model reveals lifestyle factors could sharply increase chances of developing type 2 diabetes
A new study from Anglia Ruskin University has revealed that loneliness, insomnia and poor mental health can dramatically increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Using an advanced “digital twin” artificial intelligence model, researchers analysed lifestyle data from almost twenty thousand UK adults, some followed for up to seventeen years.
Unlike traditional tests that rely on blood samples or wearable devices, the AI model focused entirely on behavioural, lifestyle and psychosocial factors.
It found that each of these issues—loneliness, problems sleeping, and poor mental health—was linked to a thirty-five percentage point rise in diabetes risk.
When all three occurred together, the risk jumped even higher, particularly among South Asian, African and Caribbean participants.
The experts say these links are likely due to long-term stress affecting how the body handles blood sugar.
The study also found connections between stress, unhealthy eating habits and increased diabetes risk. The model even suggested cheese might offer some protection, though this effect was less in people with mental health struggles.
Researchers believe this new approach could help health services identify and support people at risk of type 2 diabetes much earlier, simply by looking at lifestyle information.
With more than five hundred million people affected by type 2 diabetes worldwide, the team hopes the findings could shape future prevention programmes and make early intervention more accessible.