Maintaining Vascular Health for a Sharper Mind
Vascular Health Risk Factors Tied to Higher Dementia Risk: New Research Findings
Struggling with keeping your mind sharp? It's time to focus on your vascular health!
Your vascular system, responsible for transporting oxygen and removing waste products throughout your body, plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy brain. There are several modifiable risk factors that can help keep your vascular system in tip-top shape, including giving up smoking, maintaining a healthy blood pressure, and exercising regularly. Eating right and staying active are essential for optimal vascular health and can help lower your risk for various vascular diseases.
A recent study published in the journal shed light on the connection between midlife vascular risk factors - specifically high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking - and the risk for dementia. Researchers analyzed data from about 7,700 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, dating back to 1987, to examine the influence of these risk factors on dementia development. Scientists found that between 22-44% of dementia cases by age 80 were attributable to midlife and late-life vascular risk factors.
"The burden of dementia remains high. It has a heterogeneous presentation and pathology, so targeting risk factors that are modifiable, more proximal to dementia expression (including hypertension, diabetes, and smoking), and that could potentially impact more than one underlying process giving rise to dementia, is paramount to reduce population-level dementia risk," explained Jason R. Smith, PhD, ScM, the study's first author and researcher from the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
Emphasis on Women, Black Participants, and APOE ε4 Non-carriers
Intriguingly, the study found that the vascular risk factor attributable risk was highest in participants who self-identified as female or Black, as well as those not carrying the APOE ε4 gene. While caution is advised when interpreting these results, the findings suggest that the absolute vascular contribution to dementia is larger among those at lower genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease, and the higher burden of vascular risk factors in the Black population may account for the increased risk observed in this population.
The study's lead researcher explained that promoting vascular health early in life, particularly during midlife, could be essential for reducing the risk of dementia by 80 years. "What's good for the heart is good for the brain, and the earlier prevention starts, the better," Smith added.
So, hold off on the nicotine fix, keep those blood sugars under control, and put on your sneakers - your brain will thank you! A healthy vascular system equals a healthier brain.
- Alzheimer's disease can be linked to modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.
- Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is crucial for vascular health, which is essential for a healthy brain.
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