NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — New study results have revealed more young people are being diagnosed with cancer, isolation can take a toll on the heart and poor oral health can be linked to heart attacks and strokes.

More young people are being diagnosed with cancer, and how being isolated takes a toll on your heart.

A new study from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology revealed that social isolation can increase the risk of heart failure. More than 400,000 people took part.

“People’s assessment of their own social isolation and loneliness was fairly strongly associated with their risk of heart failure in the future. And it just reminds us that social connections and getting out there and seeing people is important to our physical health, not just our mental health,” Yale Medicine Physician F. Perry Wilson said.

Heart to heart, the warning signs of cardiovascular disease

Cancer deaths have been down by a third since 1991, but a dangerous trend is also emerging. The number of people under the age of 50 being diagnosed with cancer is up.

Dr. Wilson said having better ways to detect cancer early could be one reason, but other factors could be to blame.

“A lot of that is going to be due to environmental factors like the foods we’re putting into our bodies, the level of obesity, maybe even pollution. Epidemiologists are going to be working very hard over the next 5 to 10 years to really figure out what is driving these rates,” Dr. Wilson said.

A new study from the Yale School of Medicine found that poor oral health can be linked to conditions including heart attacks and strokes.

“In part, this is because the mouth can cause a lot of inflammation. If you’ve got bacteria in stuff growing there that can spread throughout the body and cause damage. And now the Yale study is linking oral health to cognitive decline in the future,” Dr. Wilson said.