Nurturing Your Mind: Essential Lifestyle Shifts for a Healthier Heart and Brain Connection

Dementia impacts millions of individuals and their numerous caregivers — astonishing figures that are expected to increase threefold by 2050.

In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) formulated a strategic public health action agenda, which includes organizing a comprehensive database of quality dementia research and establishing guidelines for dementia prevention.

Dementia represents a progressive, distressing decline of brain function linked with aging. Although various causes exist, the most prevalent — Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia — are now believed to be closely associated with, and significantly influenced by, similar dietary and lifestyle factors.

Your nutrition and lifestyle can diminish your risk of dementia

A number of essential protective health habits are strongly advised:

Consistent physical exercise — engaging in any activity for at least 150 minutes each week is paramount on the list of evidence-based measures you can implement. Physical activity clearly reduces the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Individuals who exercise regularly are less likely to develop any form of dementia, and this holds true even for adults experiencing mild cognitive decline.

Adopting a plant-focused diet is vital. Ample research illustrates that consuming a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and seafood is linked to a notably lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia. This dietary trend is often referred to as the Mediterranean diet, yet it can be tailored to various cultures or cuisines.

The WHO also advises steering clear of harmful, inflammatory foods such as processed grains (white flour, white rice), added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats like butter and fatty meats. It is crucial to acknowledge that the WHO does not endorse taking any vitamins or supplements for brain wellness, due to the lack of credible evidence exhibiting any impact at all. Just maintain a nutritious plant-based diet and dodge unhealthy foods as much as feasible.

The WHO further emphasizes the importance of avoiding or quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption, particularly for those who have existing cognitive issues.

Additional lifestyle elements also mentioned, albeit with less supporting evidence, that may assist include obtaining sufficient restorative sleep, fostering positive relationships, and engaging socially, which have been shown to safeguard cognition.

What is intriguing about these guidelines for dementia prevention is their significant similarity to those for preventing heart disease.

What is the link between heart health and cognitive health?

It has been long recognized that diseases and conditions that obstruct the heart’s arteries also impede the arteries throughout the body, including the brain. It fundamentally comes down to arterial impairment, the blood vessels crucial for supplying blood and oxygen to the organs. Damage to the arteries leads to blockages, resulting in heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, and vascular dementia.

Previously, Alzheimer’s disease was considered a distinct process, as the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s appeared cluttered with entangled tubular proteins (neurofibrillary tangles). However, increasing research is correlating Alzheimer’s dementia to the same risk factors that provoke heart disease, strokes, peripheral vascular disease, and vascular dementias: obesity, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes.

The evidence is considerable: studies reveal that individuals with these risk factors are significantly more prone to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Simultaneously, studies indicate that those afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease exhibit substantially reduced cerebral blood flow, and autopsy examinations confirm considerable vascular damage in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

Researchers are currently investigating the reasons behind this — what is the relationship? It seems that adequate cerebral blood flow is essential for eliminating those tubular proteins that may accumulate and tangle in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, suggesting a hypothesis that anything reducing blood flow to the brain can elevate the risk for Alzheimer’s, and conversely, anything enhancing blood flow might diminish that risk.

What’s the key takeaway?

Even if an individual has a familial history of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s dementia, and even if they currently exhibit mild cognitive impairment (forgetfulness, confusion), they can still mitigate their risk of developing dementia by simply embracing a heart-healthy lifestyle. This entails at least 150 minutes per week of physical activity; a plant-centered diet targeting a minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables daily; evading harmful substances like processed grains, added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats; discontinuing or avoiding smoking; and moderating alcohol intake.

Adapted from a Harvard Health Blog post by Monique Tello, MD, MPH