Stressful lifestyles could be the key trigger for incurable Alzheimer’s disease, scientists believe. Even the trauma of bereavement or moving home could bring on dementia.
Scientists funded by the Alzheimer’s Society are investigating the link and hope their findings could lead to new drug treatments to fight the disease.
A study at the University of Kuopio in Finland has found that the long-term effects of stress may be the biggest cause of the disease.
When stressed, our blood pressure rises as our heart beats faster and levels of the hormone cortisol in the bloodstream also increase.
Experts believe once cortisol enters the brain it starts to kill off cells there, leading to Alzheimer’s.