= Full article availableHeart-healthy habits such as staying physically active and controlling your blood pressure may also protect your brain. A blue-ribbon panel of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cognitive and Emotional Health Project, which reviewed 96 studies on factors affecting the brain, found significant parallels between cardiovascular health and both cognitive and emotional health in people over 65.
“A large variety of risk factors were consistently identified with cognitive outcomes, particularly those previously associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” the report, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, concluded. “There was considerable overlap between risk factors for cognitive and emotional outcomes.”
The strongest link across studies was between high blood pressure and cognitive decline, according to committee chair Hugh Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc, professor of psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine. Controlling hypertension may be one of the most important interventions not only for preventing cardiovascular trouble, the panel noted, but also for fighting cognitive decline.
Across the studies, other factors consistently associated with cognitive decline, in addition to age, were: diabetes, stroke or transient ischemic attacks, infarcts or white matter lesions on brain imaging, low mood scores and higher body mass index (BMI).
Physical activity seemed to be protective against cognitive decline, much as it helps ward off heart disease. If confirmed, this association “would be of great public health importance because physical activity is relatively inexpensive, has few negative consequences, and is accessible to most elders,” the report noted.
The NIH committee looked at long-term studies with at least 500 participants, predominantly involving subjects age 65 and older.
“Many of the factors that can put our brain health at risk are things we can modify and control,” said William Thies, PhD, vice president for medical and scientific affairs of the Alzheimer’s Association. “This points to the possibility that healthier living can significantly contribute to reducing the numbers of sick and mentally declining older people, and reduce healthcare costs.”
To learn more: Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, Jan. 2006. Alzheimer’s Association. National Institute on Aging.
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