BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Alzheimers Do conscientious people avoid alzheimers?

Studies show that people who are purposeful, self disciplined and scrupulous about doing what is right are less likely to suffer from alzheimers. Do you think people who ARE conscientious of these facts can actually avoid getting alzheimers?

I think that is crazy. My dog even had dementia, and I'm sorry that may not be alzheimers, but then again. My grandmother had dementia, my great aunt had alzheimers. She was the best. I don't believe it.

Read the post ( what about me) on this site. so many famous people living n dead who lived with Alzheimer's .

I find that hard to believe. I know people who were school teachers and accountants who developed alzheimers. It seems like they would have fit your description.

Hi, Lynne! The following information is from The Sun paper (Baltimore) October 11, 2007.

"People who are purposeful, self disciplined and scrupulous about doing what they think is right -- in other words, are conscientious -- appear less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers performed neurological, cognitive and medical tests on about 1,000 healthy Catholic clergy, who apparently are no more or less conscientious than the rest of us. Volunteers rated themselves by responding to such items as, "I am a productive person who always gets the job done." After 12 years, 176 had developed Alzheimer's disease. Those who had the highest ratings of conscientiousness had an 89 percent lower risk of showing symtoms of the disease than those with the lowest scores.

Though the trait may have protected participants from the consequences, it didn't protect them from the disease process itself. Autopsies were done on the 324 people who died during the study period, and conscientiousness was not linked to a lower risk of the defining signs of the disease, brain plaques and tangles.

The study was published in this month's issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry."

from:
The (Baltimore) Sun October 11, 2007


So the conscientiousness trait DOES protect people from the consequences, but it doesn't protect them from the defining signs of the disease and brain plaques of the their brain as seen by autopsy. Their brains might have signs of alzheimers but their thinking ability and their conscientiousness keeps them from showing symptoms.

Pretty interesting, huh? So our attitudes and daily behavior (our conscientiousness) can actually help us avoid alzheimers.

Trish

Well I worked in a alzheimers unit and in many nursing homes so in my pov only I noticed that the people who had family and friends come to see them offened and stayed busy doing things mentaly and physicaly lived longer and healthier lifes. the ones that had no one kinda gave up the will to live and while they my have lifed a long time in the home it was not a good life....depression set in and often time won.

those that were on the alzheimers unit came from all walks of life dr. lawyers, bankers, teachers, house wifes, farmers, deck clerks you name it! the ones that cought it earily enough and got good treatment did better then those who did not. also the ones that stayed active and alert also did better then those who did not. but they all showed some degree of the disease.... and with time the disease will win until there is a cure for it.

The saddest think I have ever seen is a woman that had alzheimers and was other wise healthy that forgot how to swollow so they put her on feeding tubes and IVs she could not talk walk or move on her own. you could see in her eyes that she just wanted to die but she was still alive traped in this body that was broken. her brain lost the ablity to make the body breath so they put her on ventaleors then the brain stoped telling her heart to beat and they let her go. she was the saddest cleint I had ever cared for. I had no idea that people could be so crule or that the disease could do that to someone. It eats away at the brain so you lose all memory, moter skills and then involentary muscle control like digestion, lung, heart....

anyways... I think that staying mentaly active is a great help to everyone but I dont think it will prevent the disease its not that simple.