High blood pressure is not just bad for your heart—it can also be harmful to your brain.
In a new study from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, scientists discovered that lowering blood pressure intensely might lead to positive changes in the brain.
These changes could help the brain get rid of harmful toxins, thereby reducing the risk of dementia.
Our brain has little pathways around blood vessels known as perivascular spaces.
These spaces are like the brain’s garbage disposal system, helping to clear away toxins and other waste products.
If the brain cannot properly get rid of these toxins, they will build up and might contribute to the development of dementia.
When we have high blood pressure over a long time, it can make our arteries stiff and cause these spaces to enlarge. This, in turn, affects their function and ability to clear out toxins.
This is the first study that investigated whether lowering blood pressure could slow down or reverse this enlargement of perivascular spaces.
To find out, the researchers compared brain scans from 442 older people who had high blood pressure.
These people were divided into two groups: one received intensive treatment aimed at lowering the top number in their blood pressure reading (the systolic pressure) to 120, and the other group received standard treatment, which aimed to lower it to 140.
The team then looked at the volume of brain tissue taken up by perivascular spaces in these people at the start of the study and after nearly four years.
They found that the group given intensive treatment had a significant decrease in volume, suggesting that lowering blood pressure more aggressively can reverse the effects of high blood pressure on these pathways.
Now, scientists want to figure out how these perivascular spaces relate to our thinking abilities and memory. They plan to do this in the next phase of their study, called the SPRINT-MIND trial.
So, if you care about your blood pressure and brain health, keep an eye out for this upcoming study. And in the meantime, check out other research on supplements and plant-based foods that might help reduce high blood pressure.
You can also learn about the surprising link between potatoes and high blood pressure and how black tea might help prevent it.
This exciting study was led by Dr. Kyle Kern and presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference.
Remember, taking care of your blood pressure doesn’t just protect your heart—it also helps keep your brain healthy!
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that cherry concentrate could lower blood pressure as much as drugs, and 3 grams of omega-3s a day keep high blood pressure at bay.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that green tea could strongly reduce blood pressure, and results showing marijuana may strongly increase death risk in high blood pressure
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