Health
Blood pressure and dementia risk share surprising link, study suggests
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is known to have a direct impact on heart attack and stroke risk — but a new study has revealed its surprising link to brain health.
In a large, randomized trial, researchers led by First Hospital of China Medical University discovered that “intensive blood pressure control” resulted in a 15% reduced dementia risk among participants and a 16% reduced risk of cognitive impairment.
The study included 33,995 people in rural China aged 40 or older who had “uncontrolled hypertension.”
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The participants were divided into two groups. One received “usual care,” while the other was assigned to “trained non-physician community healthcare providers” who prescribed “titrated antihypertensive medications.”
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is known to have a direct impact on heart attack and stroke risk — but a new study has revealed its surprising link to brain health. (iStock)
For the latter group, the medications helped them achieve a systolic blood pressure goal of
“The primary outcome of all-cause dementia was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the usual care group,” the researchers wrote.
They were also less likely to experience “serious adverse events.”
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This was one of the first large-scale, randomized, controlled effectiveness trials to demonstrate a “significant reduction in all-cause dementia associated with lowering blood pressure,” the researchers concluded.
There were some limitations of the study, the article acknowledged, including the absence of baseline and follow-up cognitive assessments.
“The primary outcome of all-cause dementia was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the usual care group,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)
Dr. Bradley Serwer — an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals — said this study presents an “intriguing approach” to addressing dementia in individuals with uncontrolled hypertension.
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“Unlike studies performed in the United States, this study employed non-physicians to significantly reduce blood pressure in rural China through a ‘cluster’ blinding method,” Ohio-based Serwer, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
It would be beneficial to include baseline cognitive assessments of the patients and to identify the prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia within the communities, one doctor noted. (iStock)
“While the study can be subject to scrutiny, it raises a pertinent question: How crucial is modification of cardiovascular risk factors in the development of dementia?”
The primary medications used in the study to lower blood pressure were calcium channel blockers and angiotensin receptor blockers, Serwer noted.
“These commonly prescribed medications have been independently associated with a reduced risk of dementia, irrespective of the magnitude of blood pressure reduction they achieve,” he said.
“This raises the possibility that the lower rates of dementia observed may be attributed to other beneficial effects of the medications rather than solely to blood pressure reduction.”
This was one of the first large-scale, randomized, controlled effectiveness trials to demonstrate a “significant reduction in all-cause dementia associated with lowering blood pressure,” the researchers said. (iStock)
To confirm the findings, Serwer said it would be beneficial to include baseline cognitive assessments of the patients and to identify the prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia within the communities.
“The most significant takeaway from this study is the profound importance of addressing blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and sedentary lifestyles,” the cardiologist said.
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“By prioritizing these factors, we not only aim to prevent heart attacks and strokes, but also strive to enhance overall quality of life.”
The study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Society of Cardiology Foundation, and the Science and Technology Program of Liaoning Province, China.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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Stat of the week
More than 59% of women may have high blood pressure by 2050, according to a new report from the American Heart Association.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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