What is bad for the heart is also for the brain

People who have risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity may also be more likely to develop structural changes in the brain that can lead to dementia, according to a recent study.

The researchers examined data from 9,772 adults, aged 44 to 79, who had all undergone at least one brain scan by MRI and had provided general medical information and medical records for badysis.

The researchers looked for badociations between brain structure and so-called vascular risk factors. They found that all other vascular risk factors, namely smoking, high blood pressure, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, were related to abnormal brain changes seen in the dementia.

And the higher the vascular risk factors, the poorer the health of their brains, as evidenced by a greater shrinkage of the brain, less gray matter (tissue mainly on the surface of the brain) and less healthy white matter. (tissue in the deep parts of the brain). ).

"There are things that contribute to cognitive and brain aging that we can not change [like our genes]So that you can see this as a list of things we can have an agency on – "malleable" risk factors, "said Simon Cox, lead author of the study, from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. United.

"There are so many other benefits to improving your cardiovascular health [improving diet, weight, exercise, blood sugar control] and stop smoking, but in combination with other evidence, maintaining brain health is probably another, "Cox said by e-mail.

The strongest links between vascular risk factors and brain structure were in areas of the brain that were known to be responsible for our more complex thinking abilities and that worsened during the development of Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Madness.

Researchers have reported in the European Heart Journal that risk factors for heart disease seemed to have as important an impact on brain health in the middle age as in adulthood.

And the risk of structural changes in the brain badociated with cognitive decline also increased with each additional vascular risk factor, even in adults who otherwise appeared healthy, the study found.

Smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes were the three vascular risk factors that showed the most consistent badociations between all types of brain tissue. High cholesterol levels were not badociated with any difference in MRI scans.

The study was not a controlled experiment designed to prove whether, or how, specific risk factors could directly cause dementia or cognitive decline.

"The precise mechanisms underlying these findings are not entirely clear," said Dr. Jeffrey Burns, co-director of the Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Center at the University of Kansas.

"The findings underscore our growing recognition that dementia is a complex syndrome and that vascular factors contribute to brain changes that we observe and expect in people with Alzheimer's disease," said Burns, who did not participate in the study. E-mail.

Nevertheless, there is enough evidence of the connection that patients will do everything in their power to promote brain health as they age, "said Dr. Andrew Budson of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare and the Faculty of Medicine. Medicine from Boston University.

"Because smoking, hypertension and diabetes were the strongest risk factors, if you have a number of risk factors, these are the most important ones to work on," said Budson, who Did not participate in the study, by e-mail. .

"Stop smoking cigarettes today," advised Budson. "Control high blood pressure and diabetes through medications, aerobic exercise and weight loss. These measures can reduce daily brain damage that might otherwise occur. "