Open wide?for your brain.
Worried about your memory? Start treating your heart. According to a special issue of the?Journal of Alzheimer?s Disease, vascular diseases like hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart disease are putting you at risk for Alzheimer?s disease.
After tracking 1,409 subjects over 20 years, researchers found that people with the most risk factors?like high blood pressure and cholesterol?had a 16 percent chance of developing dementia compared to a 1 percent risk in those with the fewest risk factors. Along with 25 other studies that comprised the special issues, researchers explained how every vascular ailment from hypertension to type 2 diabetes can lead to Alzheimer?s disease.?(Stay sharp with these?27 Ways to Power Up Your Brain.)
What?s going on? Vascular diseases like hypertension and heart disease all reduce the amount of blood available to your brain, says the guest editor of the journal, Jack C. de la Torre, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the University of Texas, Austin. Over time, this starves neurons of nutrients, causing them to deteriorate and die, he says. Plaque does build up as a side effect of the reduced flow, but it doesn?t cause the damage that leads to Alzheimer?s disease.
Your move: Treat your vascular diseases aggressively, says Dr. de la Torre. And make your first stop at the dentist. According to a 2011 study from Taiwan, people who saw the dentist for a professional cleaning twice or more a year had a 24 percent lower risk of suffering from a heart attack. That?s because arthrosclerosis is an inflammatory process, and the more inflammation you have?even if it?s in your mouth?can accelerate the disease. (Get more cool health tips and breaking news right in your feed when you follow Men?s Health on Twitter!)
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Source: http://news.menshealth.com/prevent-alzheimers/2012/11/10/
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