Sudden financial shock in middle-age may raise your risk of dementia, warns study

A sudden financial shock in midlife, such as losing your job or most of your savings, could increase your risk of dementia.

The stress of losing a large amount of money appears to accelerate cognitive decline, at least in people ages 50 to 65.

A study of 8,000 people looked at those who lost at least 75 percent of their total wealth in two years.

Compared to people whose financial situation remained stable, those who suffered a financial shock were 27 percent more likely to develop dementia.

The study followed people over age 50 in the U.S. for an average of 14 years to see if they had dementia.

The diagnosis was based on a telephone evaluation with a medical expert and his performance on tests of thinking skills.

These tests also showed that people’s cognitive decline accelerated if they lost a large amount of money.

But the link between a sudden financial shock and cognitive decline and dementia was seen only in people up to age 65 and not in older people.

The authors of the study, led by Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China, suggest that people over 65 are better able to cope with stressful life events.

Dr. Jing Guo, lead author of the study from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China, said the stress of a sudden financial shock could affect health, but added: “A negative wealth shock is defined as a sudden loss of wealth, caused by a rapid depletion of assets and accumulation of new debt, which implies lower consumption of goods and services that improve health.

‘After the experience of a negative wealth shock, people may have to abandon healthy food dietary habits due to limited wealth, have lower levels of physical exercise due to depressed emotion, as well as less social activities due to limited recreational time.

“All of the elements mentioned above are dementia preventives.”

A sudden financial disaster has previously been found to raise people’s blood pressure and increase inflammation in the body, which could damage the brain and accelerate memory loss in the future.

Losing money also increases the risk of depression, which is linked to dementia.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, included 2,185 people who had experienced such a financial shock.

This meant losing at least three-quarters of his personal wealth, taking into account savings, stocks, assets such as homes and businesses, and also debts such as loans and credit card debt.

People who had suffered a financial shock were compared to people whose finances had started out positively and remained generally stable.

Those affected by a financial change showed a more rapid decline when they were given regular tests of their thinking skills, which included remembering a list of items after a delay, counting backwards and performing mental calculations.

They were also more likely to develop dementia, which was judged through testing and a detailed telephone assessment in which a medical expert judged people’s cognitive decline and asked questions about problems with daily activities such as shopping, cooking and taking medications.

When the researchers looked at those over 50 within separate age groups, they found that the link between a financial shock and dementia was only seen in people under 65, whose risk of dementia was 38 percent higher after an economic upheaval.

This may be because older people tend to have more positive and fewer negative emotions, so they cope better with life’s upheavals.

But the finding may not be accurate, since the study included a relatively small number of people over 65, which may have skewed the results.

The study analyzed data from people involved in previous research, who took repeated cognitive tests.

The data from this test showed a faster decline in people who had suffered a financial shock, but only in people under 65.

People who started out with no financial assets or in debt were also 61 percent more likely to develop dementia than people whose finances were positive and stable, the study found.

The link between sudden financial difficulties and dementia was observed even after taking into account other factors such as age, illness and exercise levels.