Freedom and independence are aspects that we crave from childhood and for which we fight for a lifetime. Undoubtedly some have a more solitary and detached nature but after the age of 45 beware of this condition which opens the door to dementia and Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease.
If it is true that some are able to live peacefully alone, this could be risky for some people. There are numerous factors that can affect the onset of diseases of this type, starting with the quality of life. Trivially, we might think that this refers to what we eat or how we sleep, but it does not end there. After the age of 45, pay attention to this condition that opens the doors to dementia and Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular diseases.
The data in Italy
The worrying trend of neurodegenerative diseases seems to have been on an alarming rise for some years. Data reported by the WHO show that in 2010 there were 35.6 million people affected by these disorders for which a doubling is estimated in 2030. The people most affected are the elderly and this does not help the numbers in Italy. We are the longest-lived country in Europe, second only to Germany, with around 3 million people suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s.
This could be linked, in addition to a natural deterioration of brain cells, also to a decrease in sociability and a solitary life.
After the age of 45, pay attention to this condition that opens the doors to dementia and Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular diseases
That man is a “social animal” is no mystery, but the value of an adequate sharing of life is underestimated. A study in the journal Alzheimer and Dementia reported by the Veronesi Foundation speaks precisely of the effects of loneliness on neurodegenerative diseases. The study was initially aimed at observing a sample of subjects between 45 and 65 years of age in the control of cardiovascular diseases. Patients were then asked every six months how lonely they felt. Four groups emerged ordered according to the level of loneliness more or less frequent.
Well, it emerged that in the more lonely groups the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia was greater than in those more “in company”. There is talk of people who experience loneliness in anguish, perhaps who, following a bereavement, have abandoned sociality. It was also stressed that not only the absence of companionship is a risk factor for the mind, but it is also a risk factor for the heart. In fact, in people who experience anguish in solitude, electro-cardiac stability is compromised, which leads to heart and cardiovascular system diseases.