Being able to manage levels of stress can cut the risk of stroke, the Daily Mail reported. People who have a “good sense of coherence”, a measure of “how well a person adapts to stressful situations”, are less likely to suffer a stroke. Those with a relaxed approach to problems have a 24% lower risk of stroke, the newspaper reported. BBC News quoted the lead researcher as saying: "This evidence raises the possibility that improving our ability to respond to stress may have benefits for vascular health.”
The research was based on data from a large study originally set up to look at diet and cancer, and offers some evidence of a link between an individual’s ability to adapt to an adverse event and the risk of stroke. It is not clear how this outcome relates to stress as we more commonly understand it, and the news reports may have overstated a link between ‘stress’ and stroke. More robust studies that take into account all possible reasons why people might be at greater risk of stroke are needed before the effects of stress on stroke risk are known.
Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning. This may include problems with: memory loss thinking speed mental sharpness and quickness language understanding judgement mood movement difficulties carrying out daily activities There are many different causes of dementia. People often get confused about the difference between Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia and, together with vascular dementia, makes up the vast majority of cases. People with dementia can become apathetic or uninterested in their usual activities, or may have problems controlling their emotions. They may also find social situations challenging and lose interest in socialising. Aspects of their personality may change. A person with dementia may lose empathy (understanding and compassion), they may see or hear things that other people do not (hallucinations). Because people with dementia may lose t...