Brain health risks

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

Smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol

and diabetes are better for CRONers. We do

not smoke as much, have lower blood pressure,

have better blood lipid profiles and suffer

diabetes less than ad liber, generally.

The below pdf-available paper for which

First, here is an article in the CBC that

reviewed the study.

C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y :

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Dementia risk set in midlife: study

Last Updated Mon, 24 Jan 2005 19:10:39 EST

CBC News

ST. PAUL, MINN. - What's bad for the heart can also hurt the brain

and put middle-aged people at higher risk for dementia later in life,

researchers say.

Those with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or who

smoke are not only at higher risk of heart disease, but also

dementia, a new study suggests.

Some risk factors seem to affect the heart and brain in

similar ways.

Investigators studied medical records of nearly 9,000 men and

women aged 40 to 44 in California from 1964 to 1973.

After taking a second look at the patients' records from 1994 to

2003, the researchers found 721 patients had been diagnosed with

dementia, which can affect memory, concentration and judgment.

They concluded each of the four cardiovascular risk factors was

associated with a 20 per cent to 40 per cent increased risk of

dementia, after factoring out age, race, gender and education,

compared to those without any of the risk factors.

The risk factors also add up, and people with all four risk

factors have more than double the risk of Alzheimer's, according to

the study.

If people with high cholesterol or blood pressure are identified

before they are in their 50s, they may be able to reduce their

dementia risk through diet and lifestyle changes, said study author

Whitmer, from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in

Oakland, Calif.

More research is needed to show if reducing the heart disease risk

factors does in fact help dementia risk, as well.

Previous studies have reported an association between the heart

disease risk factors and dementia. Those findings are strengthed by

the large size of this study and its follow-up period.

Researchers suspect there is a connection between the two diseases

since what happens to blood vessels in the heart resembles the fate

of blood vessels in the brain.

To prevent dementia, the Alzheimer's Association recommends:

Keeping mentally active: read, take a class, work crossword

puzzles, play games.

Stay physically active: walk, bike, jog, garden, practise tai chi

or yoga.

Remain socially involved: volunteer, take a dance class, travel.

Follow a healthy diet: eat dark-skinned fruits and vegetables,

fish and nuts.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and

appears in the Jan. 25 issue of Neurology.

Now, here is the abstract. The abstract only is

given for the paper that is not yet in MedLine.

Midlife cardiovascular risk factors

and risk of dementia in late life

R.A. Whitmer, PhD; S. Sidney, MD; J. Selby, MD; S. Claiborne

ston, MD; and K. Yaffe, MD

NEUROLOGY 2005;64:277–281

Abstract—Objective: To evaluate if midlife cardiovascular

risk factors are associated with risk of late-life dementia in a

large, diverse cohort. Method: The authors conducted a

retrospective cohort study of 8,845 participants of a health

maintenance organization who underwent health evaluations

from 1964 to 1973 when they were between the ages of 40

and 44. Midlife cardiovascular risk factors included total

cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking. Diagnoses of

dementia were ascertained by medical records from Januar

1994 to April 2003. Results: The authors identified 721

participants (8.2%) with dementia. Smoking, hypertension,

high cholesterol, and diabetes at midlife were each associated

with a 20 to 40% increase in risk of dementia (fully adjusted

proportional hazards model: HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.48

for hypertension, HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.47 for smoking,

HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.66 for high cholesterol, and HR

1.46, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.79 for diabetes). A composite cardio-

vascular risk score was created using all four risk factors and

was associated with dementia in a dose-dependent fashion.

Compared with participants having no risk factors, the risk for

dementia increased from 1.27 for having one risk factor to

2.37 for having all four risk factors (fully adjusted model: HR

2.37, 95% CI 1.10 to 5.10). Conclusion: The presence of

multiple cardiovascular risk factors at midlife substantially

increases risk of late-life dementia in a dose dependent manner.