In a new study from AHA, researchers found the same risk factors that contribute to making heart disease the leading cause of death worldwide also impact the rising global prevalence of brain disease, including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Experts say maintaining a healthy weight, managing your blood pressure and following other heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors can also support good brain health.
Cognitive decline and dementia are often seen following stroke and cerebrovascular disease and indicate a decline in brain health.
Conversely, studies show maintaining good vascular health is associated with healthy aging and retained cognitive function.
The global death rate from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is increasing considerably—even more than the rate of heart disease death:
Nearly 2.9 million people in the U.S. were reported to have Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in 2017.
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias combined were the leading cause of death among all neurological disorders, including stroke.
The 2022 Statistical Update highlights some of that research:
In a meta-analysis of 139 studies, people with midlife hypertension were five times more likely to experience impairment on global cognition and about twice as likely to experience reduced executive function, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Nearly half of all adults (47% or 121.5 million) in the U.S. have elevated blood pressure, based on 2015 to 2018 data.
In a meta-analysis of longitudinal studies with up to 42 years of follow-up, people with obesity had three times the risk of dementia.
Current smoking was associated with a 30%-40% increased risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, based on a meta-analysis of 37 prospective studies.
Having cardiovascular disease also increases the chances of developing brain disease.
The data the team has collected brings to light the strong correlations between heart health and brain health and makes it an easy story to tell—what’s good for the heart is good for the brain.
Along with new information on brain health, the 2022 Statistical Update provides the latest available data on key factors related to heart disease and stroke.
On average, someone dies of cardiovascular disease (CVD) every 36 seconds in the U.S. There are 2,396 deaths from CVD each day, based on 2019 data.
On average, someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds. There are about 795,000 new or recurrent strokes each year, based on 1999 data.
On average, someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes and 30 seconds in the U.S. There are about 411 deaths from stroke each day, based on 2019 data.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about two common habits that could make your brain age fast, and low-carb diet that could help reverse brain aging.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about vitamin K that could help cut heart disease risk by a third, and results showing this drug may prevent respiratory and heart damage in COVID-19.
The study is published in Circulation. One author of the study is Mitchell S.V. Elkind, M.D. M.S., FAHA.
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