Friday, June 13, 2014

Healthy heart, healthy brain

Cardiovascular health (CVH) plays a critical role in brain health. Several cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, are related to higher risk for cognitive decline (impairment of memory, decisions, judging the time, completing a complex task, visual perception...).
Prevention strategies targeting modifiable factors and behaviors are important for reducing risks for cognitive decline and dementia.
Life's Simple 7 is a new metric based on modifiable health behaviors and factors that the American Heart Association uses to promote improvements to cardiovascular health (CVH): nonsmoking, healthy diet, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol, and fasting glucose.
 Compared with low cardiovascular health, intermediate and high levels of cardiovascular health are both associated with substantially lower incidence of cognitive impairment.
Source: American Heart Association