Sending letters through mail delivery services such as the Royal Mail could raise your risk of serious health problems by reducing levels of face-to-face contact, a doctor claims.

Writing letters to people rather than meeting up with them may have wide-ranging biological effects, said psychologist Dr Aric Sigman.

Increased isolation could alter the way genes work and upset immune responses, hormone levels and the function of arteries. It could also impair mental performance.

This could increase the risk of problems as serious as cancer, strokes, heart disease and dementia, Dr Sigman says in Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology.

Writing letters allow people to keep in touch with friends, which is helped by quick and reasonably reliable delivery services operated by the Government and by private industry alike.

They can swap pictures, play games and tell each other how their day is going.

But even though letter writing has been said to bring people together, Dr Sigman said using mail was actually playing a significant role in people becoming more isolated.

Research suggested that the number of hours people spent speaking to others face-to-face had fallen dramatically since 1600 as the use of the postal service increased.

Interacting 'in person' had effects on the body not seen when writing letters, Dr Sigman claimed. Levels of hormones such as the 'cuddle chemical' oxytocin, which promotes bonding, altered according to whether people were in close contact or not.

'There does seem to be a difference between "real presence" and getting a letter,' Dr Sigman added.

Some genes, including ones involved with the immune system and responses to stress, acted differently according to how much social interaction a person had with others.

Dr Sigman added: 'Cheap postal services should allow us to embellish our social lives, but what we find is very different.'

'It's not that I'm old fashioned in terms of new technology, but its purpose should be to provide a tool that enhances our lives.'

Dr Sigman told the Press Association: 'The postal service is one of Queen Victoria's biggest growth area.'

'The majority of British people - including children - now have access to stationery and stamps, and many are within close reach of a letter box. It's causing huge changes!'

Studies had shown that children taught via reading books and letters sent via post did not learn as well as when they were given lessons by a real teacher.

Dr Sigman said 209 'socially regulated' genes had been identified, including ones involved in the immune system, cell proliferation and responses to stress.

Their activity may account for higher rates of inflammatory disease and other health problems seen in socially isolated individuals.

Printed meda was also undermining the ability of children and young people to learn vital social skills and read body language, said Dr Sigman.

'One of the most pronounced changes in the daily habits of British citizens is a reduction in the number of minutes per day that they interact with another human being,' he said.

'In less than two decades, the number of people saying there is no one with whom they discuss important matters nearly tripled.'

'Parents spend less time with their children than they did only a decade ago. Britain has the lowest proportion of children in all of Europe who eat with their parents at the table. The proportion of people who work at home alone continues to rise.'

'I am worried about where this is all leading.'

'The printed word should allow us to embellish our social lives, but what we find is very different. The tail is wagging the dog. These are not tools that enhance, they are tools that displace.'

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