To avoid dementia, you have to have a goal!

It’s a bit the meaning of life… but it would also reduce the risk of developing dementia: having a purpose in life would reduce the risk of memory and abilities decline below 20%. cognitive. It is the conclusion of a study carried out by researchers from the University of London and published in the journal Aging Research Reviews.

positive state of mind

It is the analysis of data from 62,250 elderly people living all over the world that served as the basis for this work. People whose data indicated they had a positive mindset based on goals or commitments were associated with a 19% lower incidence of clinical cognitive impairment. According to the WHO, these disorders concern the degradation of memory, reasoning, behavior and the ability to carry out daily activities.

This study paves the way for another look at the prevention of dementia: “Programs that go in this direction and are aimed at at-risk groups often focus on well-being; they might prioritize activities that give purpose and meaning to people’s lives, rather than fun activities “, underlines Dr. Joshua Stott of UCL (University College of London), lead author of the study.

Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form

It is, according to data from previous studies, the ability of people to set a goal or objectives that would have a positive effect on their level of stress by reducing inflammation in the brain, one of the factors that increase the risk of dementia. Dementia which is one of the main causes of disability and dependency among the elderly. It is considered that between 5 and 8% of people over 60 are affected by a form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form with 60 to 70% of cases. Globally, clinical dementia could affect more than 150 million people by 2050