We all know the adage, a friend in need is a friend indeed. However, not many of us may have thought it could be life-saving. 

Australian research suggests that making friends in mid-life helps protect us against chronic health conditions in older age. 

Conversely, having unsatisfying social relationships can be as much of a risk factor for disease as obesity, physical inactivity or alcohol intake. 

As part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, researchers from the University of Queensland tracked more than 7,600 Australian women aged between 45 and 50 for two decades. 

Every three years, the women filled out a questionnaire, rating their levels of satisfaction with a range of relationships, including partners, family, friends, work colleagues and other social connections. 

The women were also monitored for the 11 conditions: diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, depression and anxiety.  Fifty-eight per cent of the women who had no chronic conditions when the study started, went on to develop multiple chronic conditions over the 20-year period. 

Middle-aged women with the least satisfactory relationships were more than twice as likely to develop multiple chronic conditions as those who were very satisfied with their relationships. 

Study leader and Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Women and Non-Communicable Diseases at UQ, Professor Gita Mishra, said, “There is a lot of research still to be done in this area but in the meantime, women can benefit from having high-quality, diverse relationships. 

“Does having a good relationship … release endorphins and that lowers the risk of chronic disease? We don’t know,” she said. 

The researchers speculated that a partner can encourage you to have your health checks more often. Some studies suggest that people who are lonely are less likely to engage with their doctors. 

So, if you’re satisfied with your relationship with your friends, your partner, you tend to be more likely to take preventive health action. 

You do exercise together or have healthy foods together and that company can improve the quality of life.

Professor Mishra said the study was not a green light for people with strong relationships to start eating badly or to stop exercising. 

Despite the clear link between human connections in middle-age and disease risk later in life, the researchers were unable to conclude that bad relationships caused health problems by age 70.