A healthy heart may have major benefits for preventing the decline in brain function that sometimes accompanies aging, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers studied a racially diverse group of older adults and found that having more ideal cardiovascular health factors was associated with better brain processing speed at the study’s start and less cognitive decline approximately six years later.
The researchers from the University of Miami and Columbia University used the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Simple Seven®” definition of cardiovascular health, which includes tobacco avoidance, ideal levels of weight, physical activity, healthy diet, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose.
“Achieving the health metrics of Life’s Simple 7® is associated with a reduced risk of strokes and heart attacks, even among the elderly. And the finding that they may also impact cognitive, or brain function underscores the importance of measuring, monitoring and controlling these seven factors by patients and physicians,” said Hannah Gardener, Sc.D., the study’s lead author and assistant scientist in neurology at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, in Florida.
The researchers found:
- Having more ideal cardiovascular health factors was associated with better brain processing speed at the initial assessment.
The association was strongest for being a non-smoker, having ideal fasting glucose and ideal weight.
- Having more cardiovascular health factors was associated with less decline over time in processing speed, memory and executive functioning. Executive function in the brain is associated with focusing, time management and other cognitive skills.
While this study suggests achieving ideal cardiovascular health measures is beneficial to brain function, future studies are needed to determine the value of routinely assessing and treating risk factors, such as high blood pressure, in order to reduce brain function decline.
Study:http://jaha.ahajournals.org/content/5/3/e002731.full
PR:http://newsroom.heart.org/news/healthy-heart-equals-healthy-brain?preview=70b6
Do you know the heart and brain connection?:http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/UnderstandingRisk/Protect-Your-Heart-Protect-Your-Brain_UCM_439306_Article.jsp#.VxM6hvl97IV
Corina Marinescu
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