Brain Aging and Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a common age-related health condition. When you blood pressure increases, it is hard on your heart and on your arteries. Turns out that high blood pressure can damage your brain as well, and not just from an increased risk of stroke.

People aged 60 and over with high blood pressure have a higher rate of cognitive decline and a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease than people with normal blood pressure. Using data from a national health survey, doctors discovered that men and women with healthy blood pressure showed the least amount of cognitive decline over time. Here are the numbers:

• For people aged 60 to 69, a blood pressure of 120.80 mmHg did best.
• For people aged 75 to 79, people under 140/90 mmHg had the best cognitive function.
• For people 80 or over, moderate high blood pressure was best.

As you age, it is likely that you blood pressure will increase. Making that increase as small as possible will protect both your heart and your brain. If you have high blood pressure, be sure to aggressively manage it through a combination of lifestyle changes like healthy eating and relaxation along with medication when suggested by a doctor. Keeping your blood pressure in normal ranges will slow your brain’s aging.

Learn more about Treating High Blood Pressure

_Source:

Thomas Olabode Obisesan MD, MPH, Odunayo Abiodun Obisesan PharmD, Sayyida Martins MD, Laila Alamgir MD, Vernon Bond PhD, Celia Maxwell MD, Richard Frank Gillum MD, MS (2008) High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, and High Pulse Pressure Are Associated with Poorer Cognitive Function in Persons Aged 60 and Older: The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 56 (3), 501–509.