Brain Health Important Long Before Senior Years, Study Says

Now’s a good time to start tuning into your brain health. Because, according to research, you can make a difference by starting early. 

The latest research finds those with poor physical fitness in their 40s may have lower brain volumes at age 60. This is an indication of accelerated brain aging, according to information presented at the American Heart Association EPI/Lifestyle 2015 meeting.

A subset of 1,271 participants from the Framingham Offspring Study participated in exercise treadmill testing in the 1970s, when their average age was 41. Starting in 1999, when their average age was 60, they underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains as well as cognitive tests. 

The participants did not have heart disease or cognitive problems at the beginning of the study, and none were taking medication that alters heart rate.

·       People who had a lower fitness level or greater increase in diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) or heart rate a few minutes into the low-intensity treadmill test (2.5 miles an hour) had smaller brain tissue volume later in life.

·      People who had a larger increase in diastolic blood pressure during low-intensity exercise also performed more poorly on a cognitive test for decision-making function later in life.

Talk with your doctor about ways you can stay healthy now when there may be a greater chance to influence your future brain health.

For more about the study, visit http://blog.heart.org/better-midlife-fitness-may-slow-brain-aging/.

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