A lack of socializing may be a major risk factor for neurological disorders in older adults.

New research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, has considered how “social frailty” can be a predictor of dementia.

The study, published in The Journals of Gerontology, looked at data from 851 people over the age of 70 in Sydney’s suburbs who did not have dementia at the time.

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The researchers evaluated social frailty using measures of social support, frequency of social interactions, sense of purpose, engagement in community or volunteer activities, and the individual’s perceived social roles and connectedness, according to a press release.

Based on this analysis, participants were classified as socially frail, pre-frail or non-frail.

The participants were followed for over 12 years, undergoing neuropsychological tests every two years to diagnose any new dementia cases. The researchers adjusted for other factors like physical frailty, psychological frailty and health history.

The study concluded that social frailty was associated with a higher risk of dementia, with socially frail individuals facing about a 47% increased risk compared to those in the non-frail group.

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In most socially frail people, the factors that were most strongly associated with this risk included low financial and family satisfaction, infrequent social contact and limited participation in social activity.

Study co-author and clinical psychologist Dr. Suraj Samtani, UNSW Sydney postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, emphasized the consequences of aging people lacking in social connections.

“In midlife, risk factors like hearing loss and metabolic syndromes like hypertension and diabetes are very important to prevent and manage,” he said in the press release. “But in late life, social isolation is the biggest risk factor for dementia.”

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In an interview with Fox News Digital, co-author and postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Annabel Matison noted that the study population was “generally healthy, well-educated and Caucasian.”

While the researchers would like to confirm these findings among a broader group, Matison commented that the strength of the association between socialization and cognitive decline is “noteworthy.”

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“We hope these findings raise awareness that poor social connections, resources and support are risk factors for dementia,” she said. “We encourage older adults to stay socially active with family, friends and neighbors, and to consider volunteering.”

Aging slowly and staying active

Another recent study by researchers at Cornell University found that social relationships can actually slow cellular aging.

Lead study author Anthony Ong, psychology professor and director of the Human Health Labs in the College of Human Ecology in New York, shared with Fox News Digital how the “depth and consistency” of social connection across a lifetime “matters profoundly.”

“Strong social ties appear to work in the background over many years, building a more resilient body by reducing the chronic, low-grade inflammation that is a key driver of accelerated aging,” he said.

In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, longevity experts David Cravit and Larry Wolf, the Canada-based authors of “The SuperAging Workbook,” shared several aspects of “super-aging,” including attachments to others.

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“I’m lucky enough to have been married to the same wonderful lady for almost 60 years,” Wolf said. “Cultivating contact with people you love, with people you like, and expanding your social network, are all very critical.”

The experts noted that mental and physical exercise are also crucial for keeping the brain young and sharp.

The ‘loneliness epidemic’

Multiple studies have shown that loneliness can be hazardous to humans’ health. In fact, a previous Harvard study found that being lonely is as detrimental as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.

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U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an updated notice on the loneliness epidemic in September, reporting a growing decrease in social connection, especially among young people.

Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, founder of Amen Clinics in California, also commented on the grave impact that loneliness may have on human health.

“The number of friends people have has dropped 40% since 1990,” he said in a previous interview with Fox News Digital. “Why? We’re more connected online, but we’re more disconnected in person.”

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“Loneliness increases stress hormones, making you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression, and it’s just bad for you,” he went on. 

“When you’re face-to-face with actual people, your brain has to work so much harder, which ultimately is working out your brain.”

The shingles vaccine could slow the progress of dementia, according to a new study from Stanford.

These findings follow previous research that found older adults who received the vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years compared to those who didn’t get the shot.

“For the first time, we now have evidence that likely shows a cause-and-effect relationship between shingles vaccination and dementia prevention and treatment,” Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer, assistant professor of medicine and senior author of the new study, told Fox News Digital.

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A team of scientists used public health data in Wales, where, for several years, eligibility for the shingles vaccine (Zostavax) was based strictly on birth date. 

People born just before the cutoff automatically qualified, while people born just after did not.

This created two large groups of older adults who were nearly identical in age, health profile and background, only differing by who received the vaccine. This allowed researchers to compare dementia rates in a way that avoided some of the biases seen in observational studies.

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After the initial analysis from April, researchers dug deeper into the records and found that the vaccine’s benefits extended from the earliest signs of cognitive decline all the way to the last stages of dementia.

Over the course of nine years, people who received the vaccine were less likely to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.

Additionally, those who received the vaccine after a dementia diagnosis were significantly less likely to die from dementia in the next nine years, suggesting that the vaccine could slow the progress of the disease.

Nearly half of the Welsh seniors who had dementia at the start of the vaccination program ended up dying from dementia in the follow-up, compared to only 30% of those who received the vaccine.

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“There is a growing body of research showing that viruses that preferentially target your nervous system and hibernate in your nervous system for much of your life may be implicated in the development of dementia,” said Geldsetzer.

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That includes the chickenpox virus, which stays in the body for life. In older age, it can reactivate and cause shingles, and sometimes it can trigger inflammation in or around the brain, according to Mayo Clinic.

Preventing viral flare-ups could also reduce inflammation, which has been linked to dementia risk, experts say.

The critical limitation of this research, according to the team, is that the health behaviors of those who get vaccinated are different than those who do not.

“We have very little, if any, information on these behaviors in electronic health records or medical claims data,” Geldsetzer noted.

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For instance, the researchers don’t know about the patients’ dietary behaviors or physical activity levels.

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“If the shingles vaccine really prevents or delays dementia — and, with this new study, also appears to have benefits for those who already have dementia — then this would be a hugely important finding for clinical medicine, population health and research into the causes of dementia,” Geldsetzer emphasized.

Fox News Digital reached out to shingles vaccine manufacturers for comment.

On the heels of comedian Dave Coulier’s announcement of his tongue cancer diagnosis, experts are sharing what to know about the disease.

Coulier, 66, announced in a Tuesday interview that he has been diagnosed with early-stage P16 carcinoma, or oropharyngeal tongue cancer. 

“Oropharyngeal” refers to cancer that begins at the base of the tongue. The “P16” indicates that it is associated with HPV (human papillomavirus).

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The news comes just months after the “Full House” star announced his battle with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The tongue cancer is “totally unrelated” to that initial cancer, he told “Today” in the interview.

“I went in for a PET scan, just a routine check-up, and something flared on the PET scan,” Coulier said. “It turned out that I have P16 squamous carcinoma at the base of my tongue.”

The comedian had announced on April 1 that he was cancer-free following the non-Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis.

“To go through chemotherapy and feel that relief of whoah, it’s gone, and then to get a test that says, well now you’ve got another kind of cancer … it is a shock to the system,” he said.

Coulier shared that he will undergo a course of 35 radiation treatments.

What to know about tongue cancer

Tongue cancer can affect the front of the tongue (oral cavity) or the base/back of the tongue (oropharynx), according to the National Cancer Institute. Risk factors and prognosis can differ substantially depending on the location of the cancer.

In 2025, it is expected that there will be about 20,040 new cases of tongue cancer and approximately 3,270 deaths, the NCI states. (These numbers only include cancers that begin in the front two-thirds of the tongue.)

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When including all oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers — which totals all mouth and throat cancers — the numbers rise to 59,660 new cases and about 12,770 deaths in 2025, per the American Cancer Society.

The overall five-year survival rate for tongue cancer is 71%.

Studies have shown that cases have been on the rise in the U.S. in recent years, affecting almost all age groups and races.

“The rise is linked to the dramatic rise of HPV,” Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital. “It can metastasize, but the prognosis is 80% to 90% curable if it’s HPV-related.”

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George Semeniuk, M.D., a medical oncologist and hematologist at City of Hope in Newport Beach, California, agreed that tongue cancer is one of the fastest-rising head and neck cancers doctors are seeing.

“Early detection is critical,” he told Fox News Digital.

Warning signs and risk factors

Some of the earliest warning signs of tongue cancer include a persistent sore or ulcer on the tongue, pain when swallowing, a lump or changes in speech, according to Semeniuk.

“Anything that lasts longer than two weeks should be evaluated by a specialist,” he advised.

Siegel added, “Look out for a sore that won’t heal or difficulty swallowing. Show your doctor, ENT or dentist.”

Other common signs include a lump or thickening on the tongue; red or white patches on the tongue or lining of the mouth; persistent tongue, pain in the mouth, jaw or throat; and numbness or burning in the tongue, according to multiple health sources.

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Those affected may also notice difficulty chewing, swallowing or speaking, or unexpected bleeding in the area.

If the cancer has spread, the patient may notice a lump in the neck (from enlarged lymph nodes), ear pain (usually on one side), or stiffness or swelling of the jaw. 

The biggest risk factors for tongue cancer are tobacco use, heavy alcohol consumption and HPV, Semeniuk noted.

“We are also seeing increasing cases in younger adults who have never smoked, which underscores the role HPV can play,” he said. “People with long-standing mouth irritation, weakened immune systems or poor oral hygiene may also be at higher risk.”

Treatment and prognosis

The standard treatment for tongue cancer is largely dependent on the stage of the disease and where it is located, according to experts.

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“Treatment depends on the stage and location of the tumor, but often involves a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and, in more advanced cases, chemotherapy or targeted therapies,” Semeniuk said.

“At City of Hope, we also use minimally invasive surgical approaches and precision-guided therapies to preserve speech and swallowing whenever possible.”

Siegel noted that tongue cancer tumors tend to be more responsive to surgical resection, radiation and chemotherapy.

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“Prognosis is significantly better when tongue cancer is diagnosed early. If detected at an early stage, cure rates can be quite high,” Semeniuk told Fox News Digital. 

“That’s why it’s so important for people to pay attention to changes in their mouth and seek care promptly. Regular dental visits and HPV vaccination are also important steps in lowering risk.”