Maintaining Heart Health Could Protect Against Dementia and Memory Loss, Study Finds

A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that maintaining heart health could guard against cognitive decline and dementia, reports iNews . The investigators compared Framingham General Cardiovascular Risk Scores (FGCRS) to a person's long-term decline in cognitive function, while monitoring 1,588 dementia-free participants with an average age of 79.5 for 21 years. Every year, participants' episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, visuospatial ability, and perceptual speed were evaluated and scored. The researchers associated a higher cardiovascular risk with more rapid decline in episodic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data for a subset of participants revealed that higher FGCRS corresponded to smaller volumes of hippocampus, cortical gray matter, and total brain — and the first two biomarkers indicate Alzheimer's dementia-related neurodegeneration. The MRIs also highlighted greater volume of white matter hyperintensities, which cause a brain region's functionality to decline. "We need to monitor and control cardiovascular risk burden as a way to maintain patients' cognitive health as they age," said Tianjin Medical University's Weili Xu.