Stress increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease

Our fast-paced lives are filled with endless responsibilities. So, it should not be surprising to find ourselves often stressed. Unfortunately, the problem begins to appear when this stress becomes chronic. Chronic stress has been badociated with an increased risk of depression, heart disease and, according to a recent study, Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease affects nearly 6 million Americans and nearly 50 million people worldwide (1). Since there is no cure for this disease, many studies have looked at how to prevent it. Risk factors badociated with Alzheimer's disease include age and family history.

In addition, risk factors for heart disease have been noted to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. This is due to the effect of said risk factors on the blood vessels. These risk factors include high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. However, it now seems that middle-aged distressed people increase their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in old age.

Study on stress and Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) have begun to investigate the possible link between burnout and Alzheimer's disease. Life depletion is synonymous with psychological distress because it is often a reaction to "insoluble problems" in life. In fact, previous studies have shown vital depletion as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.

The symptoms of vital exhaustion include irritability, fatigue, depression and a feeling of demoralization.

For the study, the team badyzed data from a survey of 6,807 Danish people between 1991 and 1994. At the time, participants were on average 60 years old. For the survey, participants answered questions about burnout. The team also clinically followed up participants until the end of 2016 and reviewed their hospital records and their mortality and prescription records in search of dementia diagnoses.

The results

The study revealed a link between vital depletion and the future development of Alzheimer's disease.

More specifically, the study found that for each additional symptom of vital depletion, the risk of dementia increased by 2%.

"Participants reporting five to nine symptoms had a 25% higher risk of dementia compared to those without symptoms, while those with a symptom of 10 to 17 symptoms had a 40% higher risk of dementia compared to those with no symptoms. in the absence of symptoms, Sabrina Islamoska, postdoctoral student at the university.

"We were particularly concerned about whether the symptoms of life depletion would be an early sign of dementia," explained Islamoska. "However, we found an badociation of the same magnitude, even separating reports on vital depletion and diagnoses of dementia up to 20 years."

The verdict

Although the study raises concerns about the effects that stress may have on cognitive health, the researchers admit that more research needs to be done,

"Stress can have serious and harmful consequences not only on the health of our brains, but also on our health in general" explained Islamoska, "Our study indicates that we can go further in the prevention of dementia by taking into account the psychological risk factors for dementia "

You can find out more about the study here.

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Stress is toxic and can be very detrimental to health. That's why it's important to manage your stress. Click here to learn more about the best science-proven stress-relieving techniques.