Middle-aged people with cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure and smoking, may have an increased risk for a drop-off in their thinking skills, according to an NHLBI-funded study published in Neurology.
Researchers looked at cognitive function and cardiovascular risk factors in participants in the NHLBI-funded Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. The analysis included 2,675 adults with an average age of 50 who did not have dementia. Participants took cognitive tests to evaluate memory, executive function, and processing speed at baseline and 5 years later.
The researchers found that people who smoked, had high blood pressure, or had diabetes had an increased risk of cognitive decline at the 5-year evaluation compared with those who did not have those risk factors. Obesity and high cholesterol were not associated with cognitive decline, but the more cardiovascular risk factors a person had, the higher their risk of cognitive decline.
The researchers said this shows that heart health is key to brain health and that cardiovascular risk factors could be causing cognitive problems at a relatively early age. That underscores the importance of monitoring those factors and working with a doctor to lower blood pressure, stop smoking, and keeping diabetes controlled if necessary.