People are being warned that having few friends could be bad for your health.

Researchers at Harvard University say a small social network could be as bad for you as smoking.

A study has found a link between the levels of a blood clotting protein which can cause a stroke or a heart attack and loneliness.

People with just five people in their social network have a 20% higher level of this protein than people with 25 friends.

On the National Lunchtime News, Tom Swift spoke to Clinical Pscyhologist Dr Keith Gaynor from St John of God Hospital about the study: