Research Highlights the Impacts of Happiness on Dementia

(Newswire.net — September 12, 2022) Orlando, FL — Dementia is undeniably common today, and this condition affects not just the quality of life of the sufferers but also their family members.

Various research studies have been carried out to investigate the factors influential in the development or prevention of this disease.

One study spearheaded by the UC San Francisco researchers has shown that poor mental health may take a toll on cognitive well-being. This study adds up to the body of evidence linking depression and dementia. 

The findings of this interesting research have shown that depression in early adulthood may actually result in reduced cognition 10 years later. It may even lead to cognitive decline in old age. 

Such findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 

The investigators in this research actually utilized innovative statistical methods in predicting average trajectories of depressive symptoms for roughly 15,000 participants ages 20 to 89. It is worth noting that the subjects were divided into three life stages: older, midlife, and young adulthood. 

In a group of approximately 6,000 older subjects, the risk of cognitive impairment was 73 percent higher for those estimated to have increased depressive symptoms in early adulthood, and 43 percent higher for individuals estimated to have elevated depressive symptoms in later life.

It is also worth revealing that for depressive symptoms in midlife, there was a link with cognitive impairment. However, it was discounted when they adjusted for depression in other life stages.

“Several mechanisms explain how depression might increase dementia risk,” said first author Willa Brenowitz, Ph.D., MPH.

Brenowitz is from the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Weill Institute for Neurosciences. 

“Among them is that hyperactivity of the central stress response system increases the production of the stress hormones glucocorticoids, leading to damage of the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential for forming, organizing and storing new memories.”

More studies are still being carried out to look into the factors affecting the brain and susceptibility to Alzheimer’s. Today, researchers are increasingly investigating some remedies potentially helpful for brain health.

These include the amino acid called L-Carnitine, which is being studied for its medicinal benefits. Some studies suggest it may help enhance and protect the brain. Researchers have also revealed that its use lessened attention deficits in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease after long-term treatment.

This remedy may be obtained through the use of super strength supplements like Divine Bounty L-Carnitine (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XF7K9MM).