Time goes by so fast and before you know it, you start seeing a few streaks of grey hair which are a wake-up call to our aging process. Your former, current and future lifestyle strongly determines how gracefully you will grow old. You reap what you sow, even in terms of your health. A healthy diet and exercise will allow you to stay active through your old age, but as you grow old, you need to take care of your mental health as well. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle that is good for your body and your brain, you can successfully prevent all types of illnesses, including Alzheimer’s.
The Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common mental ailment among elderly people. Almost 5% of people aged over 65 develop Alzheimer’s, which increases to almost 50% for people aged over 85. It is unfortunate debilitating condition because it robs the person of all their cognitive abilities and a lifetime of memories. They are unable to recognize their loved ones and have a hard time taking care of themselves. The underlying causes of Alzheimer’s are still under research but some studies have progressed far enough to know stress is a huge contributing factor.
Stress As a Contributor to the Development of Alzheimer’s
The stress hormone called cortisol is known to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is produced by your adrenal glands and responds during times of stress. For example, if you experience something stressful, such as a car accident, your cortisol hormones will spike up in your bloodstream. Constant stress leads to high levels of cortisol in your bloodstream and affects your brain deleteriously.
People who suffer from Alzheimer’s are known to have increased levels of cortisol in their bloodstream. The levels of cortisol and memory impairment were found to be strongly correlated. Studies then used this correlation to prove whether early increases in elevated cortisol affect the development of Alzheimer’s disease. It was then found that sticky proteins in the brain accumulated together and caused a loss of neuronal functions that led to dementia and memory loss, i.e. symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study further proved this theory by injecting these accumulated sick brain proteins with cortisol. It was found the cells accumulated much faster and in larger amounts. This same procedure was also tested on animals to see if increased cortisol levels would have the same impact on their neuronal functions. A mouse was genetically altered to develop Alzheimer’s disease and it was injected with cortisol everyday for a week. Upon observing the rodent’s brain on the seventh day, it was found that those same proteins had accumulated, much similar to the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient.
Since increased cortisol levels rapidly speed up the effects of Alzheimer’s, it can be safely concluded that stress contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s. So, by reducing overall stress, you can prevent or at least delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease.