In Case You Haven't Heard…

Keeping your brain sharp as you age has a lot to do with your heart — and the younger you start taking better care of it, the better — according to a new scientific statement published by the American Heart Association (AHA), CNN Health reported Oct. 10. “Dementia is commonly seen as an incurable and relentless disease that cannot be prevented,” said Fernando Testai, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology and rehabilitation at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, in a statement. “Evidence shows, however, that adopting a healthy lifestyle and identifying and treating vascular risk factors early may help preserve normal brain function and reduce the burden of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias,” said Testai, who chaired the statement writing group. Nearly 130 million adults in the United States have some form of heart disease, according to the AHA. The disease also takes a toll on the brain. The narrowing of arteries that occurs with coronary heart disease and high blood pressure can reduce blood flow and cause damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, resulting in cognitive impairment, the AHA said. High blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes can also reduce blood flow to the brain and increase inflammation, leading to cognitive decline and dementia. Having coronary heart disease raises the risk of future dementia by 27% compared with people without heart disease, the AHA statement said.