研究顯示 中年壓力會造成大腦萎縮大綱

Stress in middle age can make your brain shrink and make your memory worse, scientists have discovered.

科學家發現，中年壓力會讓人的大腦萎縮且記憶力變差。

The brain-reducing effects of stress were found to be triggered by cortisol.

壓力令大腦萎縮這一影響被發現是由皮質醇引發的。

The high levels of the stress hormone may be an early warning sign someone may end up with dementia, the research suggests.

研究表明，這種壓力荷爾蒙的水平高可能是一個早期預警信號，表明某人可能最終會患上癡呆症。

Stress also made people's thinking skills worse, the Harvard Medical School study found.

哈佛大學醫學院的這項研究發現，壓力還造成人們的思維技能變差。

For the research, scientists led by Dr Justin Echouffo-Tcheugui studied 2,231 people with an average age of 49 and free of dementia.

在研究中，由Justin Echouffo-Tcheugui博士領導的研究小組選取了2231名平均年齡爲49歲且無癡呆症的人。

He said: "Our research detected memory loss and brain shrinkage in middle-aged people before symptoms started to show."

他表示：“我們的研究在症狀開始出現之前就發現了中年人的記憶力減退和腦萎縮。”

"So it's important for people to find ways to reduce stress, such as getting enough sleep, engaging in moderate exercise, incorporating relaxation techniques into their daily lives, or asking their doctor about their cortisol levels and taking a cortisol-reducing medication if needed."

“因此找到減輕壓力的方法對人們來說很重要，比如獲得充分睡眠，適度鍛鍊，把放鬆技巧融入日常生活，或向醫生詢問自己的皮質醇水平，如有必要，服用降低皮質醇水平的藥物。”