Stress from caring for dementia patients can cause health problems, study says

BOSTON - Caring for someone with dementia can be incredibly stressful and a new study finds that stress can cause damage on a cellular level, which can lead to mental and physical health problems.

One way to gauge a person's cellular health is to determine how much energy is left over after they perform daily activities, similar to a car. The more energy or fuel you have left over after a drive, the better your fuel efficiency, mileage, and overall performance.

A team at Rice University studied more than 100 caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's and other dementias and found that those with less leftover cellular energy were less able to engage in physical activities such as walking and carrying groceries, and they had fewer positive emotions such as feelings of excitement, inspiration, and alertness compared to caregivers with more leftover energy.

Less leftover cellular energy has also been linked to higher inflammation which can lead to a host of mental and physical health problems, even dementia itself.