In the new study, investigators studied a racially diverse group of older adults and found that having more ideal cardiovascular health factors was associated with better brain processing speed.
The link between heart health and cognitive ability was discovered
Researchers monitored more than 1,000 senior adults averaging at 72 years old, located in Northern Manhattan in New York City. Roughly 65 percent of the participants had a Hispanic heritage, 19 percent were black, and 16 percent were white.
The researcher conducted at the University of Miami and the Columbia University used the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Simple Seven” definition of cardiovascular health, which includes tobacco avoidance, ideal levels of weight, physical activity, healthy diet, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose.
The researchers found:
- Having more ideal cardiovascular health factors was associated with better brain processing speed at the initial assessment.
- The association was strongest for being a non-smoker, having ideal fasting glucose and ideal weight.
- Having more cardiovascular health factors was associated with less decline over time in processing speed, memory and executive functioning.
- Executive function in the brain is associated with focusing, time management and other cognitive skills.
At the beginning of the study, researchers tested the brain-processing speed and thinking of the senior adults’ memory. Results showed that seniors who met more goals apparently had faster brain processing speed at the start of the study.
The association was most visible among the participants who maintained a healthy weight, didn’t smoke, and had normal blood sugar levels.
An unhealthy heart can’t pump blood through the body as efficiently. This includes reducing blood flow to the brain, and when the brain doesn’t get the oxygenated blood it needs to function, key neural connections tied to memory and processing begin to deteriorate.
Following the health metrics of Life’s Simple 7 can reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks, even among the elderly,” said study lead author Hannah Gardener from the University of Miami.
“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,” Gardener added.
Brain and Heart is cognitive related
At the beginning of the study, published recently in Journal of the American Heart Association, 1,033 participants were tested for memory, thinking and brain processing speed.
At follow-up, scientists noted that meeting more heart-healthy goals was linked to less deterioration in brain processing speed, memory and executive function. Executive function involves focusing, organization, time management and other cognitive skills.
“The results suggest that vascular damage and metabolic processes may be important in cognitive performance and decline late in life,” Gardener said. However, the study did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between heart-healthy living and reduced loss of thinking skills.
More research is needed to determine if routine assessment and treatment of heart health factors may help older individuals maintain sharper minds, the investigators added.
One expert said the research helps to confirm the link between heart health and brain health.
“This new study provides important evidence that further supports that heart health and brain health go together,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“The benefits of the heart health factors apply to all ages, and it is never too late to begin to make positive changes in lifestyle or make improvements in risk factors,” he added. “It is critical to maintain a healthy body weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.”
Fonarow recommended that older adults might also want to increase levels of physical activity. “A good guide is to aim to get 10,000 steps in each day,” he advised.
Therefore, heart health and brain status go hand in hand. The link is critical. It shows the crucial need for fitness of the cardiac muscle since it causes greater focal abilities of the brain.
“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,” said Hannah Gardener, Sc.D., the study’s lead author and assistant scientist in neurology at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, in Florida.
Brain processing speed measures how quickly a person is able to perform tasks that require focused attention. Approximately six years later, 722 participants repeated the cognitive testing, which allowed researchers to measure performance over time.
The researchers found that having more cardiovascular health factors was associated with less decline over time in processing speed, memory and executive functioning, which is associated with focusing, time management and other cognitive skills.
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