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    • Common heart conditions raise the risk of dementia, experts say

    Staying on top of your heart's health will go a long way toward keeping your brain sharp as you age, experts say. (FG Trade/E+/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource) Staying on top of your heart's health will go a long way toward keeping your brain sharp as you age, experts say. (FG Trade/E+/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource)
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    Keeping your brain sharp as you age has a lot to do with your heart 鈥 and the younger you start taking better care of it, the better 鈥 according to a  published Thursday by the American Heart Association.

    鈥淒ementia is commonly seen as an incurable and relentless disease that cannot be prevented,鈥 said Dr. Fernando Testai, a professor of neurology and rehabilitation at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, in a statement.

    鈥淓vidence shows, however, that adopting a healthy lifestyle and identifying and treating vascular risk factors early may help preserve normal brain function and reduce the burden of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and other related dementias,鈥 said Testai, who chaired the statement writing group.

    Nearly 130 million adults in the United States have some form of heart disease, . Adopting a heart-heathy lifestyle should start early in life, even before a baby is born, said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver.

    鈥淭his call to action is especially critical right now because so many Americans have some form of heart disease and people are getting sicker and sicker earlier in life,鈥 said Freeman, who was not involved in writing the AHA statement.

    鈥淭he typical American curse is that we all work hard our whole lives,鈥 Freeman said. 鈥淲e save our money, we get ready to retire, and then we look forward to heart attacks, strokes, dementia 鈥 diseases that are potentially avoidable if we can act early enough and change our lifestyles.鈥

    Dementia and plaque in the arteries

    , which is the buildup of plaque in the body鈥檚 arteries, is the lead killer in the world, according to the . Deaths from coronary artery disease have risen from 6.4 million in 2000 to 9.1 million in 2021, the WHO said.

    The disease also takes a toll on the brain. The narrowing of arteries that occurs with coronary heart disease and high blood pressure can reduce blood flow and cause damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, resulting in cognitive impairment, the AHA said. High blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes can also reduce blood flow to the brain and increase inflammation, leading to cognitive decline and dementia.

    Having coronary heart disease raises the risk of future dementia by 27 per cent compared with people without heart disease, the AHA statement said. The disease can start in a person鈥檚 , often with no visible symptoms to alert a person of the danger.

    Heart attacks and heart failure

    About every 40 seconds, someone in the United States will have a heart attack, the AHA estimates. After that happens, up to 50 per cent of those who survive experience loss of brain function, with some taking a sharper decline into cognitive impairment, the AHA statement said.

    Heart failure is a more severe form of heart disease, in which the heart is too weak to pump enough blood and oxygen to the body鈥檚 organs. According to the new scientific statement, up to 81 per cent of people with heart failure can have some form of cognitive decline that impacts their memory, language, or ability to think and plan.

    鈥淓merging evidence suggests that the bidirectional relationship between the heart and the brain is deeper than we thought,鈥 Testai said in an email. 鈥淰ascular risk factors associated with cardiac diseases, such as diabetes, can increase the levels of beta-amyloid in the brain. which is recognized as a key marker of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.

    鈥淚n return, beta-amyloid has been found in the heart and is associated with cardiac dysfunction,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hese findings suggest a fundamental biochemical connection between the heart and the brain.鈥

    A-fib and dementia

    Known as A-fib, atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat often described by many people who have it as a 鈥渜uiver,鈥 鈥渇lutter鈥 or 鈥渇lip-flop鈥 of the heart in the chest.

    Atrial fibrillation is the  in the U.S. In addition, strokes connected to A-fib tend to be 鈥渕ore severe than strokes with other underlying causes,鈥 .

    Small brain bleeds, called microhemorrhages, that can lead to cognitive decline are more common in people with atrial fibrillation, according to the new scientific statement. In fact, people with A-fib have a 39 per cent increased risk of memory or thinking problems.

    The rate of atrial fibrillation in the U.S. is growing 鈥  suggest up to 16 million people will have A-fib by 2050.

    Focus on lifestyle changes

    Modern medicine has amazing drugs 鈥 such as statins and cholesterol-lowering medications 鈥 that can prevent or slow heart disease, especially if caught early, Freeman said. Regular checkups and taking prescribed medications on a daily basis are critical to making that happen, he added.

    However, there is a limit to what drugs can accomplish. For example, aggressively treating high blood pressure has shown promise in reducing mild cognitive impairment but not dementia, the AHA statement said.

    鈥淗umans were designed to live very differently than we live today, and it鈥檚 imperative that people understand how unbelievably important lifestyle is,鈥 Freeman said.

    What are the key lifestyle factors that boost brain health? Nothing you haven鈥檛 heard before.

    Prioritize sleep

    Being well-rested boosts mood, improves energy and sharpens the brain. People who have more interrupted sleep in their 30s and 40s are more than twice as likely to have memory and thinking problems a decade later, a January study found.

    The 鈥渟weet spot鈥 for restorative slumber is when you can sleep continuously through the four stages of sleep . Since each cycle is roughly 90 minutes long, most people need seven to eight hours of relatively uninterrupted z鈥檚 to achieve this goal.

    Concentrate on nutrients

    Be sure to eat a healthier plant-based diet, such as the award-winning Mediterranean diet.

    An August study found eating an anti-inflammatory diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables instead of an inflammatory diet focused on red and processed meats and ultraprocessed foods, such as sugary cereals, sodas, fries and ice cream, lowered the risk of dementia by 31 per cent.

    That benefit held true even for people with existing diagnoses of cardiometabolic conditions such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

    Reduce stress

    High levels of cortisol 鈥 the so-called stress hormone 鈥 were associated with damage to the parts of the brain that move and manage information, an  Another study  found people with elevated stress levels were 37 per cent more likely to have poor cognition.

    Stress isn鈥檛 inherently bad, and adopting ways to view stressors as healthy challenges can help, experts say. Other ways include getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy foods, and limiting your time following the news or engaging in social media, according to the . It also helps to stay connected with others and to employ calming practices such as meditation and deep breathing. One of the most successful tools, though, is physical activity.

    That鈥檚 right 鈥 exercise is critical

    If there is only lifestyle change you can make, focus on exercise, Freeman said. Adults should do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, along with strength training,  You know you鈥檙e doing moderate exercise when you are breathing hard and unable to sing a song, but can still talk. Vigorous activities such as jogging, swimming laps or playing basketball will make it hard to speak at all.

    The increase in activity benefits the whole body, including the brain, studies have shown. A  found people who walked at a very brisk pace of 112 steps per minute for 30 minutes a day lowered their risk of dementia by 62 per cent.

    Don鈥檛 have a step counter? You can count the number of steps you take in 10 seconds and then multiply it by six 鈥 or the number of steps you take in six seconds and multiply it by 10. Either way works.

    鈥淧hysical activity is just absolutely magnificent,鈥 Freeman told CNN. 鈥淎nd when if you blend that with eating a more plant-based diet, de-stressing, sleeping enough and connecting with others 鈥 that鈥檚 your magic recipe. It鈥檚 the fountain of youth, if you will.鈥

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