cardiovascular prevention is good (also) for the brain – breaking latest news

We are publishing a preview of an article in the new Corriere Salute. You can read the full text on the free issue on newsstands on Thursday 27 October or in Pdf on the Digital Edition of Corriere della Sera.

Counteracting cardiovascular risk factors, such as lhigh blood pressureil diabetes, obesity and cigarette smokingnot only protects against events such as stroke and heart attack, but also serves to reduce the likelihood of experiencing mental decay or true dementia, such as Alzheimer. as indicated by a study published in the journal Neurology by a group of researchers led by Bryn Farnsworth von Cederwald of the University of Ume in Sweden. And the faster the risk factors tend to accumulate, the faster one progresses towards cognitive impairment.

This is a large study, which involved over 1200 people of 55 years of average age who for 25 years were observed clinically every five years, through specific memory tests, lifestyle questionnaires and laboratory tests for the evaluation of general health conditions. In this way, it was possible to find that during the study, 6 percent of the people developed dementia from Alzheimer’s and 3 percent developed dementia of vascular origin.

By comparing this data with those coming from lifestyles and general health, the researchers determined that the increase in cardiovascular risk over time exposed one to a greater risk of heart attacks, strokes, but also of cognitive impairment. In particular, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia is multiplied by 3 to 6 times, while that of developing vascular dementia is multiplied by 3 to 4 times..

You can continue reading the article in Corriere Salute on newsstands for free on Thursday 27 October or in Pdf in the Digital Edition of Corriere della Sera.