A recent study suggests that men with risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, may experience brain health decline about 10 years earlier than women with similar risks.
The findings, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, reveal that men in their mid-50s to mid-70s are most affected, while women face the highest risk from their mid-60s to mid-70s.
This decline affects critical parts of the brain that handle hearing, vision, emotions, and memory.
Surprisingly, the harmful effects were observed in both those with and without the high-risk APOE ε4 gene, often linked to dementia.
Heart disease risk factors like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking are known to increase the likelihood of dementia. However, scientists have been unclear about the best time to intervene and whether timing might differ for men and women.
To investigate, researchers analyzed data from 34,425 participants in the UK Biobank. Participants, aged 45 to 82 (average age 63), underwent both abdominal and brain scans.
Researchers used the Framingham Risk Score to assess cardiovascular risk, taking into account age, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, medication use, smoking habits, and diabetes. Advanced brain imaging techniques were used to measure changes in brain structure and volume, focusing on how heart disease risk factors and abdominal fat might impact brain health.
Key Findings
The study showed that higher levels of abdominal fat and visceral adipose tissue (fat surrounding internal organs) were linked to lower brain gray matter volume in both men and women. However, the effects appeared earlier and were stronger in men.
- Men were most at risk of brain changes from heart health issues between the ages of 55 and 74.
- Women faced the highest risk a decade later, between 65 and 74.
These changes in brain volume occurred gradually over decades, following a bell-shaped pattern: risks were lower for younger individuals (under 55) and older individuals (over 75), though the study included fewer participants in these age groups.
The brain regions most affected were the temporal lobes, located in the outer layer of the brain. These areas are crucial for processing sounds, visual information, emotions, and memory. Damage to these areas is often seen early in dementia.
The study highlights how cardiovascular risk factors can harm brain health, emphasizing the importance of preventing and treating these issues early. “Targeting obesity and other modifiable risks for heart disease before age 55 in men could help prevent cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s,” the researchers said.
Interestingly, medications used to treat conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes are showing potential for treating Alzheimer’s. Other heart disease treatments might also help protect the brain.
As an observational study, this research cannot prove that heart disease causes brain decline, only that there’s a strong connection. Additionally, specific Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers weren’t included, and it’s challenging to distinguish between normal aging-related brain changes and those caused by heart disease.
However, there are clear biological reasons for these findings, including inflammation, insulin resistance in the brain, and damage to the blood-brain barrier.
This research underscores the importance of maintaining heart health—not just to avoid heart attacks and strokes, but also to protect brain health.
For men, focusing on these risks earlier in life could make a significant difference in reducing cognitive decline.
Both men and women can benefit from managing risk factors like obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure to preserve brain health and potentially prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s.
If you care about brain health, please read studies that eating apples and tea could keep dementia at bay, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health.
For more health information, please see recent studies what you eat together may affect your dementia risk, and time-restricted eating: a simple way to fight aging and cancer.
