Protecting your heart also keeps your mind sharp. New research reveals that a healthy heart protects the brain from age-related decline.
Seniors with exceptional heart health showed considerably faster brain processing speed and experienced significantly less cognitive decline, according to results from a six-year study.
Researchers from the University of Miami and Columbia University determined cardiovascular health by using American Heart Association's recent "Life's Simple Seven" which looked at modifiable heart risk factors like tobacco use, weight, physical activity, diet, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
The latest study involved 1,033 participants in the Northern Manhattan Study. Participants in the study had an average age of 72. Researchers noted that 65 percent of participants were Hispanic, 19 percent were African American and 16 percent were white.
Participants were asked to undergo cognitive tests that measured their memory and thinking skills as well as brain processing speed, defined as how quickly an individual can complete tasks that require focused attention, at the beginning and end of the study.
Study results linked healthy heart habits to better brain processing speed at baseline. Researchers noted that this finding was especially true among non-smokers with ideal fasting blood sugar levels and healthy body weight.
The study also linked healthy heart habits to significantly less decline over time in brain processing speed, memory and executive functioning. Executive functioning determines an individual's ability to focus, manage time and think critically.
Researchers said the latest findings highlight the importance of forming healthy life habits.
"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 lead researcher Hannah Gardener, an assistant scientist in neurology at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, according to a news release.
Researchers said the next step is to examine whether treating risk factors like high blood pressure or high glucose levels will help brain function as well as when cardiovascular health is most important when it comes to preserving brain function.
"In addition, further study is needed to identify the age ranges, or periods over the life course, during which cardiovascular health factors and behaviors may be most influential in determining late-life cognitive impairment, and how behavioral and health modifications may influence cognitive performance and mitigate decline over time," Gardener concluded
The findings are published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
