Being stressed, nervous or exhausted in middle age can increase your risk of dementia, the study claims
- Researchers from the University of Helsinki found that stress increases the risk of dementia
- They found it could increase your chances of getting the disease by 24%.
- The study followed 68,000 people for up to 45 years, tracking their symptoms
According to a study, stress, nervousness or exhaustion in middle age can increase the risk of dementia.
At a time when most people are trying to balance work, family and social obligations, it is not uncommon to suffer from mental health problems.
But it could increase the risk of developing the brain disease by up to 24 percent, researchers have found.
A team from the University of Helsinki followed 68,000 people for up to 45 years and asked participants to fill out questionnaires about mental symptoms.
Being stressed, nervous or exhausted in middle age may increase risk of dementia, study suggests (file photo)
Data on which participants went on to develop dementia were also obtained from health registries.
The analysis found that those who said they “frequently” suffered from stress, depression, nervousness or exhaustion – even after the age of 45 – had a 17 to 24 percent increased risk of dementia.
The team said the reason for the link is unclear, but it’s important to understand the risk factors for the disease.
The study leaders wrote in the journal Jama Network Open: “As the population ages, memory disorders become more common. This, of course, makes it important to understand their risk factors.
“From a psychiatric perspective, it is particularly interesting that through careful modeling we have established a link between symptoms related to psychological distress and organic brain disease.
“In this study, mental distress symptoms were significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia from all causes.”
They added that the association between depression and exhaustion with dementia was found to be significant only in men.
“This may suggest that in men who report depressive symptoms ‘often’, the degree of symptoms may be more severe and therefore more strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia,” they wrote.
Researchers have found that stress can increase the risk of developing the brain disease by up to 24 percent (pictured is a conceptual illustration depicting an elderly person with progressive impairment of brain function)
A recent study found that just six minutes of vigorous physical activity a day can help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Scientists at the University of Otago in New Zealand found that a six-minute intense workout consisting of 40 seconds of cycling and 20 seconds of rest increases the availability of a protein linked to brain formation, learning and memory.
Research shows that there were over 850,000 people with dementia in the UK in 2019.
This equates to one in 14 people aged 65 and over, with over 1.5 million people projected to be living with dementia by 2040.
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WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia is a collective term for a number of neurological diseases
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of progressive neurological disorders (affecting the brain) that affect memory, thinking and behavior.
There are many different types of dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common.
Some people can have a combination of different types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience their dementia in their own unique way.
Dementia is a global problem, but it is most prevalent in wealthier countries where people are likely to live into old age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimer’s Society reports that there are more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK today. This is expected to increase to 1.6 million by 2040.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting between 50 and 75 percent of people diagnosed.
There are an estimated 5.5 million people with Alzheimer’s in the United States. A similar percentage increase is expected for the coming years.
The risk of developing dementia also increases with age.
Diagnosis rates are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia are still undiagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
There is currently no cure for dementia.
But new drugs can slow its progression, and the sooner it’s detected, the more effective the treatments are.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society