A high level of cynical distrust — for example, believing that no one cares much what happens to you and that it's safer not to trust anybody — is associated with a higher risk for dementia, and the association is not entirely explained by depressive symptoms, a new study shows. 
 
 Although researchers also found a link between cynical distrust and mortality, this was nonsignificant after adjustment for behavioral factors, self-reported health status, and especially socioeconomic background. 
 
 Along with previous evidence, the current results suggest that life view and personality can affect a person's health. 
 
 "The findings of this study propose that psychosocial and behavioral risk factors may be modifiable targets for prevention of dementia," the researchers, with senior author Anna-Maija Tolppanen, PhD, Department of Neurology, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, conclude. "It may thus be possible to improve life quality by attempting to change people's attitudes to a more positive direction." 
 
 The study, with first author Elisa Neuvonen, also with the Department of Neurology at the same institution, was published online May 28 in Neurology. 
 
 Cognitive Status 
 
 The analysis included participants in the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study, which was derived from 4 separate random population samples (in 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1987), who had a mean age of 71.3 years at the beginning of the study. Researchers gathered data on cynical distrust for 1240 participants and dementia data for 622 participants. 
 
 Cognitive status was determined with a 3-step process that included screening, a clinical phase, and a diagnostic phase. In 1998, those who scored 24 or lower on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at screening were referred for further investigation. 
 
 In 2005, participants who scored 24 or less on the MMSE and had a decrease of 3 or more points since 1998; who had less than 70% delayed recall in the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease) Word List; or for whom there was informant concern about the patient's cognition were referred to the clinical phase, which included detailed neurologic, cardiovascular, and neuropsychological examinations. 
 
 Researchers assessed cynical distrust using the 8-item Cynical Distrust Scale, which asks participants to somewhat or completely agree or disagree with sentences such as: "I think most people would lie to get ahead," "most people are honest chiefly through fear of being caught," and "most people will use somewhat unfair reasons to gain profit or advantage rather than lose it." Scores on this scale can range from 0 to 24 points. Researchers categorized results into tertiles. 
 
 The mean follow-up duration was 8.4 years for the dementia analysis and 10.4 years for the mortality analysis. Altogether, 361 participants died and dementia was diagnosed in 46. 
 
 The study showed that cynical distrust was not associated with incident dementia when the results were adjusted for age and sex only. But after the analysis also accounted for other confounders, people with the highest level of cynical distrust had a higher risk for dementia (relative risk [RR], 3.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 - 8.55) compared with those with low cynical distrust. 
 
 Some participants may have already had prodromal dementia at the time of assessment of cynical distrust, so the results may reflect the role of impending dementia on one's attitude. "Thus, although we excluded those persons who had dementia at the time of cynical distrust assessment, we cannot entirely rule out reverse causality," write the authors. 
 
 In the fully adjusted model, which included depressive symptoms, a high level of cynical distrust was still associated with higher risk for dementia, although the CI was wide and included the null value (RR, 2.90; 95% CI, 0.97 - 8.70), they report. 
 
 Mortality Risk 
 
 Those with the highest level of cynical distrust had on average a 40% higher risk for death compared with those who had the lowest cynical distrust. The association remained essentially the same after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, but when socioeconomic factors, smoking, alcohol consumption, and self-reported health were also considered, "the association was abolished," said the authors. 
 
 However, they pointed out that the study population was fairly aged and that if the measurement had been performed at a younger age, the association with mortality might be more evident. 
 
 "One potential subject for further investigations is to assess whether long-standing cynical attitude has more ominous outcomes than later acquired cynicism and whether the change of attitude to more positive has influence on mortality." 
 
 The study was supported by the University of Eastern Finland, the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the Swedish Society for Medical Research and the Finnish National Graduate School of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Tolppanen reports financial support by strategic funding of University of Eastern Finland. 
 
 Neurology. Published online May 28, 2014. Abstract ||||| WEDNESDAY, May 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cynical, distrustful people may be more prone to dementia, a new Finnish study contends. Those traits have been linked with other health problems, such as heart disease, the researchers noted. "Our personality may have an impact on our brain health," said study author Anna-Maija Tolppanen, from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio. Tolppanen cautioned that this study finding only shows an association between cynicism and dementia, not necessarily a cause-and-effect link. 
 
 "This is the first study showing the link, so it is not possible to say yet whether this is causal or if the association is explained by something else," she said. 
 
 One explanation could be that people who are more wary of others may be less socially active, which in turn may increase their dementia risk, she said. 
 
 There are many ways personality may affect brain health, Tolppanen said. People with different personality traits may be more or less likely to engage in activities that are beneficial for mental health, such as a healthy diet, mental or social activities, and exercise. Another suggestion is that personality may cause physical changes in the brain, she said. 
 
 "These findings suggest that in addition to established lifestyle-related risk factors, such as exercise or diet, our attitude or personality may be a modifiable risk factor," Tolppanen said. 
 
 The report was published online May 28 in Neurology. 
 
 Dr. Sam Gandy, director of the Center for Cognitive Health at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, said the new study "addresses the issue of whether dementia underlies the development of an outlook characterized by negative, cynical, sometimes paranoid mistrust that can develop in the elderly." 
 
 Doctors, however, should be wary in their interpretation of these attitudes, he said. They "should not jump immediately to the diagnosis of dementia," he said. 
 
 Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer's Association, said this is a very preliminary study that needs to be replicated in a larger group over a longer time. 
 
 Snyder noted that other studies have looked at the connection between personality traits, such as depression and anxiety, and dementia. "But we don't have a clear picture of what or any linkage there may be at this point," she said. "We can't really draw a significant conclusion from this paper." 
 
 "People should live their lives doing things they enjoy and staying active and engaged in life, and that will be better for their health overall," Snyder added. 
 
 For the study, Tolppanen's team tested 1,449 people for dementia and had them fill in a questionnaire to measure their level of cynicism. The average age of the participants was 71. 
 
 In the questionnaire, people were asked how much they agreed with statements such as: "I think most people would lie to get ahead," "It is safer to trust nobody," and "Most people will use somewhat unfair reasons to gain profit or an advantage rather than lose it." 
 
 Based on their scores, people were grouped in low, moderate and high levels of cynical distrust. 
 
 At the start of the study and an average of eight years later, 622 people completed both tests for dementia. 
 
 The researchers took into account other factors that could affect the risk for dementia, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking. 
 
 Tolppanen's group found that people with high levels of cynical distrust were three times more likely to develop dementia than people with low levels of cynicism. 
 
 Among the 164 people with high levels of cynicism, 14 developed dementia, compared with nine of the 212 people with low levels of cynicism. Of the 246 people with moderate levels of cynicism, 13 were diagnosed with dementia during the study. 
 
 The researchers also looked at whether people with high levels of cynicism were more likely to die than people with low levels of cynicism. 
 
 High cynicism was associated with earlier death, but after taking into account factors such as socioeconomic status, behaviors such as smoking and other health conditions, the link between cynicism and death disappeared, the researchers found. 
 
 More information 
 
 Visit the Alzheimer's Association for more on dementia. ||||| World 
 
 London: Being too cynical may increase the risk of dementia in later life, a study suggests. 
 
 People who display high levels of "cynical distrust" - the belief that others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns - are three times more likely to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia than those with low levels, scientists found. 
 
 Researchers used a questionnaire to measure cynicism levels in 1449 people with an average age of 71 who were also given two tests for dementia. 
 
 A total of 622 participants completed the tests over an average period of eight years. During that time, 46 individuals were diagnosed with dementia. 
 
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 The scientists adjusted their findings to take account of factors known to influence dementia risk, including raised blood pressure and cholesterol, and smoking. 
 
 Of the 164 people with high cynicism scores, 14 developed dementia compared with nine of the 212 with low levels of cynicism. 
 
 Study leader Dr Anna-Maija Tolppanen, from the University of Eastern Finland, said: "These results add to the evidence that people's view on life and personality may have an impact on their health. 
 
 "Understanding how a personality trait like cynicism affects risk for dementia might provide us with important insights on how to reduce risks for dementia." 
 
 The findings are reported in the latest online edition of the journal Neurology. 
 
 PA
– Hard-core cynics won't believe a word of it, but Finnish researchers think they're more likely to suffer from dementia late in life. Three times more likely, in fact, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The researchers surveyed senior citizens to gauge their level of cynicism, asking them, for example, whether they thought most people would lie to get ahead. Researchers checked back eight years later and found that those who had the highest level of cynicism were more likely to have dementia. (Of the 164 toughest cynics, 14 developed dementia, compared with nine of 212 with low levels of cynicism and 13 of 246 with moderate levels.) "The findings of this study propose that psychosocial and behavioral risk factors may be modifiable targets for prevention of dementia," say the researchers, as per MedScape. "It may thus be possible to improve life quality by attempting to change people's attitudes to a more positive direction." Researchers aren't saying that cynicism causes dementia, only that there's an association, notes HealthDay News. The study's author theorizes that cynics might be less likely to be socially active, and that in turn could increase their risk.