Health
Brain health warning sign could be hiding in plain sight, say researchers
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A new study from the University of Southern California suggests that the way blood pressure fluctuates from one heartbeat to the next may be just as important as the overall blood pressure reading — especially when it comes to brain health in aging adults.
Researchers found that older adults who experienced greater beat-to-beat changes in blood pressure had smaller brain volumes in areas tied to memory, and higher levels of a protein linked to nerve-cell injury.
“Even when blood pressure is well-controlled with medication, the rapid fluctuation in blood pressure from heartbeat to heartbeat is associated with worse memory and signs of brain shrinkage and brain cell injury,” USC Professor Daniel Nation, senior author of the study, told Fox News Digital.
The study linked rapid blood pressure shifts to smaller memory-related brain regions in older adults. (iStock)
“Blood pressure isn’t static; it’s always adapting to the body’s needs,” he added in a press release. “But as we age, that regulation can become less precise.”
The study included 105 adults between the ages of 55 and 89. The researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure continuously for several minutes while they underwent brain scans.
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In particular, they measured the stiffness of the adults’ arteries and how much their blood pressure changed between heartbeats.
Even when participants’ average blood pressure seemed healthy, those with the most erratic readings — combined with stiffer arteries — showed telltale signs of brain aging, the study found.
People with erratic readings had smaller hippocampal and entorhinal cortex regions, which are among the first areas of the brain affected in Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock)
Specifically, they had smaller hippocampal and entorhinal cortex regions, which are among the first areas of the brain affected in Alzheimer’s disease. They also had higher blood levels of neurofilament light, a biomarker of nerve-cell damage.
These findings were described as significant even after taking into account factors like age, sex and average blood pressure — suggesting that the fluctuations themselves, and not just overall pressure, may be a key risk factor.
The findings were first published online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on Oct. 17.
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For years, doctors have warned that high blood pressure raises dementia risk, but the USC study explores specifically how moment-to-moment instability can be a cause for concern.
Nation said the researchers were surprised to find that these rapid fluctuations in blood pressure were linked to brain injury, “regardless of whether they have hypertension or are treated with blood pressure-lowering medications.”
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In other words, someone could have “good” readings at the doctor’s office and still have dangerous spikes and dips that quietly stress the brain’s delicate blood vessels, the research suggests. Over time, that instability could contribute to memory decline and neurodegeneration.
Even well-controlled blood pressure may not protect against brain changes if readings fluctuate too much, the study suggests. (iStock)
The researchers emphasized, however, that this study only shows correlation and does not prove causation, and that more research is needed.
“The findings are correlations in a cross-sectional study, which is like a snapshot in time,” Nation said. “Future studies should examine how these rapid blood pressure fluctuations change over time and whether they predict future brain shrinkage, brain cell injury and memory decline.”
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The team says there are currently no treatments specifically for these fluctuations.
“But it remains very important that people monitor their blood pressure and take blood pressure-lowering medications as prescribed in order to reduce their risk for brain injury and memory decline,” Nation said.
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“Development of therapies to address rapid blood pressure fluctuations should be a priority, since these rapid fluctuations are not fully addressed by existing treatments that focus on lowering average blood pressure,” he added.
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Officials in Tiburon, California, have moved to prohibit the sale of all tobacco.
On Wednesday, the town council unanimously passed an ordinance that would ban the sale of cigarettes, cigars, vapes, e-cigarettes and all other nicotine products.
Tiburon Mayor Holli Thier told Fox News Digital in a statement that she is “pleased to have sponsored” and “voted to save lives and save our environment.”
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“With local youth in Marin County vaping at twice the national average, it is critical that we take all efforts to reduce teen addiction,” she added. “By banning all tobacco sales here in Tiburon, we are preventing youth from getting addicted and protecting our environment.”
Cigarettes are the biggest source of single-use plastic finding its way into rivers, bays and oceans in the world, Thier said.
Officials in Tiburon, California, have moved forward to prohibit the sale of tobacco products in the Bay Area. (iStock)
An anti-tobacco group of high school students from across Marin County, the Youth Advocacy Committee (YAC), were present at a few town council meetings to advocate for the ordinance.
Diana Garcia, a YAC student, reiterated her strong support for the ban.
“I urge you to keep supporting this amendment to protect the health and future of our youth. You have a chance to set an example for communities to follow,” she said at the Nov. 5 meeting.
In 2022, nearly 50 million U.S. adults reported the use of any tobacco product, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The CDC also reports that smoking and secondhand smoke exposure cause over 480,000 deaths each year, with “smoking harm[ing] nearly every organ of the body and caus[ing] many diseases.”
The new anti-tobacco ordinance is set to take effect in December. (iStock)
The 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine ranked Marin County as the healthiest California county.
“We remain committed to doing the hard work and changing the outcomes so all in Marin can thrive and live healthy lives,” said Niccore Tyler, Marin County’s health and human services’ chief strategy officer, at the time.
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The California Fuels & Convenience Alliance penned an opposition letter to the town council.
“We believe this complete prohibition sends a discouraging message to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Small businesses, including convenience stores and gas stations, are essential to communities and provide residents with convenient access to everyday necessities,” it read.
Nearly 50 million U.S. adults reported the use of any tobacco product in 2022. (iStock)
“Complete prohibitions on product categories, rather than reasonable regulation, send a message that small businesses may face unpredictable restrictions, creating uncertainty that discourages entrepreneurship and investment in Tiburon,” the letter continued.
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The ordinance is set to take effect in December.
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Chronic kidney disease has been named the ninth leading cause of global death.
Record numbers of men and women are currently estimated to have reduced kidney function, according to new research following a study published in the journal The Lancet.
Researchers at NYU Langone Health, the University of Glasgow, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington analyzed the rise of kidney disease worldwide.
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They examined 2,230 published papers and health datasets from 133 countries, searching for diagnoses, mortality and the toll of disability from the disease.
From 1990 to 2023, cases rose from 378 million to 788 million, landing the disease in the top 10 of most deadly diseases in the world for the first time.
The largest risk factors for kidney disease include high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high body mass index (BMI). (iStock)
The research, conducted as part of the Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, also revealed that about 14% of the world’s adult population has chronic kidney disease. About 1.5 million people died from kidney disease in 2023, an increase of more than 6% since 1993.
Most people in the study were in early stages of the disease, which can be improved with drugs and lifestyle changes before dialysis or surgery becomes necessary, the researchers noted.
The research, which was presented last week at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual Kidney Week conference, marks “the most comprehensive estimate of the condition in nearly a decade,” according to the authors.
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Chronic kidney disease causes the kidneys to lose the ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, NYU Langone detailed.
Mild cases may not show any symptoms, but those in the most advanced stages can require dialysis, kidney replacement therapy or an organ transplant.
Chronic kidney disease causes the kidneys to lose the ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. (iStock)
Impaired kidney function was also identified as a key risk factor for heart disease, contributing to about 12% of global cardiovascular mortality.
The largest risk factors for kidney disease, based on the study findings, include high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high body mass index (BMI).
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Study co-senior author Josef Coresh, M.D., Ph.D., director of NYU Langone’s Optimal Aging Institute, said these results classify chronic kidney disease as “common, deadly and getting worse as a major public health issue.”
“These findings support efforts to recognize the condition alongside cancer, heart disease and mental health concerns as a major priority for policymakers around the world,” he said in a statement.
Kidney disease may show no symptoms, yet can ultimately require dialysis or organ transplantation. (iStock)
Study co-lead author Morgan Grams, M.D., Ph.D., the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, also commented that chronic kidney disease is “underdiagnosed and undertreated.”
“Our report underscores the need for more urine testing to catch it early and the need to ensure that patients can afford and access therapy once they are diagnosed,” she wrote.
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New medications have recently become available that can slow disease progression and reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure, although it may take time to see the global impact, Grams added.
A doctor urged physicians to be more aware of kidney function and the impact of certain medications. (iStock)
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel commented on the “dramatic increase” in an interview with Fox News Digital, agreeing that kidney disease is “vastly underestimated and underdiagnosed,” in part due to lack of symptoms in early stages.
“The kidneys are filters of waste and managers of electrolytes and acid/base balance,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study. “They are very sensitive to changes in blood pressure and blood flow, and can lead to loss of protein and electrolytes when damaged.”
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“High blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and low blood pressure all impact basic kidney function, so there is a high degree of secondary kidney disease and failure in addition to primary damage to the kidneys themselves,” the doctor added.
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Siegel urged physicians to be more aware of kidney function and the impact of certain medications.
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Gates Foundation and the National Kidney Foundation.
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