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 "We and others have shown that purpose in life is protective against
multiple adverse health outcomes in older age," said lead study
author Lei Yu, an assistant professor of neurological sciences at
Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center of Rush University Medical Center in
Chicago.
Importantly, purpose in life may be improved through changes in
behaviors or participation in activities like volunteerism, among
other things, Yu told Reuter's Health in an email.
A stroke can occur when blood flow to the brain is blocked. The
damaged brain tissue may contribute to a number of conditions
including dementia, movement problems, disability and death as
individuals grow older.
For their study, published in the journal Stroke, Yu and his team
analyzed autopsy results on 453 older adults who had been enrolled
in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. All of the participants
underwent annual physical and psychological evaluations, including a
standard assessment of purpose in life, and were followed until they
died, at an average age of 90.
None of the participants had dementia when they entered the study,
but 114 people had suffered a stroke.
At autopsy, 154 individuals had macroscopic infarctions (areas of
stroke damage visible to the naked eye) and 128 had "microinfarcts"
(areas of damage visible with a microscope).
Purpose in life was judged on a five-point scale with higher scores
indicating a greater purpose. The average score was 3.5.
With every one-point increase in the score measuring purpose, the
likelihood of having one or more macroscopic infarctions decreased
by about 50 percent. There was no link between purpose and
microinfarcts.
This study is very well done, thorough and very intriguing, said Dr.
Jose Biller, chair of neurology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch
School of Medicine.
“It has many strengths and corroborates with other observations that
having a direction and purpose in life may be beneficial,” Biller,
who wasn’t involved in the new study, told Reuters Health in an
interview.
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Biller noted that the neurobiology underlying this finding is poorly
understood and perhaps more complex than we can understand.
"We are always talking about sickness and infirmity and we don't
emphasize health," Biller said. "As a country we spend more on
healthcare than anyone else but we don't pay attention to
prevention. Many problems can be solved by very basic measures, and
as this study shows, that includes taking care of the spirit."
He cautioned that the people in the new study tended to be highly
educated, which means the results may not be applicable to everyone.
"But still, if we put everything together - my opinion is that
having a purpose in life is very healthy, and this is the message I
would want to convey," Biller said.
Yu said it’s important for people to be thoughtful about what
motivates them. They should engage in rewarding behaviors, he said.
"Health conscious adults are encouraged to work actively to improve
their sense of meaning in life and goal directness,” Yu said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1GIoRxQ
Stroke, online March 19, 2015.
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