Research has revealed that caregivers of spouses dealing with memory impairment undergo significant stress, which can impact their overall health negatively. The stress experienced by caregivers can affect them at a cellular level, leading to physical and mental health issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
A study titled “Mitochondrial health, physical functioning, and daily affect: Bioenergetic mechanisms of dementia caregiver well-being,” published online in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, delves into how cellular health influences the well-being of spouses caring for dementia patients amid substantial daily stress.
“This study expands on our previous research on chronic stress and immunity by underscoring the importance of cellular health in the mind-body connection,” said Chris Fagundes, a professor of psychological sciences at Rice University and one of the study’s authors. “We have found that chronic stress impacts not only immune function but also individual cell health, pointing to a deeper, more intricate relationship between our mental and physical well-being.”
The researchers specifically looked into the connection between mitochondria, the cell’s power source, and mental and physical health. Mitochondria energy is crucial for daily activities like walking, shopping, and driving. Monitoring how much energy remains after these activities helps evaluate cell health.
Fagundes likened cell health to a car’s fuel efficiency, explaining, “The more energy or fuel you have left over after a drive is an indicator of how good your mileage is — or how good things are working. It’s more or less the same idea when it comes to the health of your cells.”
Just as cars lose fuel efficiency as they age, cells naturally have less leftover energy with aging. Chronic stress, such as caregiving, also negatively impacts cell health. However, some people’s cells are inherently more resilient to stress and aging.
The researchers discovered that caregivers with less remaining cellular energy struggled with physical activities like walking and carrying groceries compared to those with more energy. Additionally, these caregivers experienced fewer positive emotions such as excitement, inspiration, and alertness when compared to caregivers with higher cellular energy reserves.
Having more remaining cellular energy is associated with better mental and physical health outcomes, while less energy is linked to increased inflammation, which can lead to various health issues like dementia or Alzheimer’s.
The researchers are hopeful that the study’s findings could pave the way for developing pharmaceutical or therapeutic interventions targeting cellular health. This may help caregivers avoid the negative consequences of stress they encounter.
The study was a collaborative effort by Cobi Heijnen, Jensine Paoletti-Hatcher, Itee Mahant, and Vincent Lai from Rice University; Jennifer Stinson from Baylor College of Medicine; Dr. Paul Schulz from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and Luis Medina from the University of Houston.
