The American Heart Association recently released an assessment tool, Life’s Simple 7, that focuses on cardiovascular health issues typically resulting from lifestyle choices, or modifiable behaviors. With several studies having established the relationship between poor cardiovascular health and cognitive decline, researchers questioned whether this tool could be used a motivation for better lifestyle choices.
Researchers studied over 17,000 individuals over the age of 45 who completed the Life’s Simple 7 assessment. The tool covers the following health areas: smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, total cholesterol and fasting glucose. After four years, the participants’ cognitive status was assessed and, not surprisingly, those with the lowest cardiovascular health scores on the Simple 7 had a greater rate of cognitive impairment by 35 to 37 percent. And the strongest correlations came from smoking, BMI and fasting glucose.
Recently another study completed in the UK with a similar list of seven risk factors found that exercise topped their list for being the most influential. The researchers estimated that by reducing the risk associated with each lifestyle factor by just 10%, 9 million cases of dementia worldwide could be prevented by 2050. One researcher noted, “Although there is no single way to prevent dementia, we may be able to take steps to reduce our risk of developing dementia at older ages. We know what many of these factors are, and that they are often linked.”
These research efforts support our Living Well with Dementia outpatient program philosophy, where individuals living at home with mild to moderate dementia participate in exercise, cognitive exercises and socialization. To find out more contact The Cedars at 207-221-7100.