What ’s good for the heart is good for the mind

Right now the world is experiencing an epidemic that is projected to get much, much worse. It’s an epidemic of dementia, affecting 40 million people — and millions more of their caregivers — staggering numbers that will likely triple by 2050. Dementia is a progressive deterioration of brain functioning associated with aging. While there are different causes, the most common — Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias — are now thought to be closely related. How is heart health related to cognitive health? We have long known that the diseases and conditions that clog the arteries of the heart also clog the arteries of the rest of the body, including the brain. It all boils down to damage of the arteries, the blood vessels that are critical for blood flow and oxygen delivery to the organs. Arterial damage leads to arterial blockages, which leads to heart disease and heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, and vascular dementia. Meanwhile, Alzheimer’s disease used to be thought of as a different process, because the brains of people with Alzheimer’s seemed to be full of tangled tube-shaped proteins (neurofibrillary tangles). However, more and more research is linking Alzheimer’s dementia to the same risk factors that cause heart disease, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, and vascular dementias: these risk factors are obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. The evidence is substantial: studies show that people with these condition...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Food as medicine Health Healthy Eating Heart Health Memory Neurological conditions Source Type: blogs