Current research has been finding that unhealthy arteries (blood vessels that lead to the heart) later in life may be related to decreased mental ability. A new European study with 4800 older British men and women (average age of 55 years) looked at how cardiovascular (heart) health was related to metal sharpness. Heart disease risk was assessed by looking at patients age, cholesterol, blood pressure, and if they smoked or had diabetes. Cognitive (mental) ability was assessed 3 times over 10 years by looking as skills such as memory and vocabulary. It was found that those who had 10% increased cardiovascular risk showed lower cognitive test scores. In other words, people with more cardiovascular risk, were more likely to see their mental ability to decline over the 10 years.
So maybe its time to start thinking about how your heart health will affect you later in life? Physical activity, a healthy diet, and healthy mind may be a few steps in the right direction!
Information Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/videos/news/heart_mind_022211.html
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