Staying stress free reduces dementia risk

People who stay calm and remain socially active are less likely to develop dementia, a new study has indicated.

The study of more than 500 people aged over 78 found that those who were outgoing and laid back were 50% less likely to develop dementia, compared to people who were isolated and prone to distress.

The dementia risk was also 50% lower for people who were not socially active but were calm and relaxed.

Around 40,000 people in Ireland have dementia, the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s disease. There is currently no cure.

The study, published in the medical journal Neurology, followed participants for six years. During that time 144 developed dementia.

Study author Hui-Xin Wang from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden said that in the past, studies have shown that chronic distress can affect parts of the brain.

“But our findings suggest that having a calm and outgoing personality in combination with a socially active lifestyle may decrease the risk of developing dementia even further,” Dr Wang said.

“The good news is that lifestyle factors can be modified as opposed to genetic factors, which cannot be controlled. But these are early results, so exactly how mental attitude influences the risk of dementia is not clear.”

For more information on Alzheimer’s, see… http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/alzheim/index.html

[Posted: Tue 20/01/2009]