Stress therapies could cut future risk of Alzheimer’s
MINDFULNESS and meditation could stave off dementia, research suggests.
Analysis of data involving 30,000 people concluded that those who suffered moderate to severe anxiety in mid-life were more likely to develop dementia years later.
The research team, at University College London, said responses to stress may speed up brain cell ageing and degenerative changes in the central nervous system, increasing vulnerability to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. They said therapies such as mindfulness and meditation, which have been found to reduce anxiety, might cut the risk of later dementia.
The team examined studies looking at the association between mid-life anxiety, depression, and the development of dementia. The findings, published in BMJ Open, identify an association between moderate to severe anxiety and future dementia, with a gap of at least 10 years in between diagnoses. This supports recent evidence of a link between anxiety and risk of mild cognitive impairment, and lends weight to the known association between depression and dementia.
Researchers said more work was needed to establish whether reduced anxiety in middle age could cut the risk of dementia, but they believed approaches other than anti-anxiety drugs were worth exploring.
The study found: “Non-pharmacological therapies – including talking therapies and mindfulness-based interventions and meditation practices – that are known to reduce anxiety in midlife, could have a risk-reducing effect, although this is yet to be thoroughly researched.”
Dr Natalie Marchant, the author of the study from UCL’S division of psychiatry, said: “Clinically significant anxiety in midlife was associated with an increased risk of dementia over an interval of at least 10 years. These findings indicate that anxiety may be a risk factor for late-life dementia”.
GPS should monitor patients suffering from anxiety in case of heightened risks, she suggested. “Given the high prevalence of anxiety seen in primary care, we suggest that GPS could consider anxiety alongside depression as an indicator of risk for dementia.”
Last year, a trial suggested mindfulness – a meditative practice of paying more attention to the present moment, is more than twice as good at reducing stress than gardening. The practice, which can involve deep breathing, has been growing in popularity in recent years, with the NHS recommending it as a way to reduce stress and anxiety.
The eight-week trial by the BBC and the University of Westminster showed it was better than gardening and yoga at helping people to relax, while US scientists found that an eight-week course of daily classes can help lower inflammatory molecules and stress hormones by around 15 per cent.