CRP and diabetes mellitus: Previous work has observed higher levels of loneliness (Hawkley et al., 2019) and CRP (McDade et al., 2006, 2011) among Black vs. White older adults, and there are well-established health disparities among Black individuals in diseases linked with CRP (e.g., heart disease, stroke, and diabetes) (Hayward et al., 2000; Wyatt et al., 2003).