Better cardiovascular health among middle-aged Black women linked to less decline in cognition

Better heart health was linked to less decline in mental processing speed and cognition among middle-aged Black women, although not among middle-aged white women, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. Take care of your heart, and it will benefit your brain. Better cardiovascular health in women in their 40s is important to prevent later-life Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and to maintain independent living.” Imke Janssen, Ph.D., study lead author, professor of family and preventive medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago Previous research has linked heart health to a lower risk of cognitive decline. This decline may begin years before the onset of dementia, Janssen explained. Questions that need to be answered include understanding when the cognitive benefits of heart health begin, whether they occur among people of different races and whether they affect different types of brain function including reasoning. In this study, researchers compared key heart health metrics, known as the American Heart Associations’ Life’s Essential 8, among middle-aged Black and white women to cognitive testing conducted on the women every one to two years over a 20-year period. Life’s...