‘Ideal Cardiovascular Health Index’ Protective Against Dementia.

Cardiovascular health recommendations proposed by the American Heart Association (AHA) may help to protect against dementia as well as stroke and cognitive decline, according to a new study co-authored by researchers from the Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

The study, published in the journal Stroke, examined whether adherence to the AHA’s so-called “ideal cardiovascular health index” was associated with a lower risk of dementia, cognitive decline, and brain atrophy among participants in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. The index focuses on modifiable health behaviors such as smoking, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and diet.

The researchers found that adherence to the guidelines “protects against all forms of vascular brain injury, including AD (Alzheimer disease).” They said the concept of ideal CVH “should thus be further promoted to protect the brain, as well as the heart, from vascular risk factors.” In particular, they added, middle-aged people should be targeted.

“Further promoting ideal CVH, particularly to middle-aged adults, may improve neurological outcomes for our aging citizens,” they said.

While prior research has shown vascular health benefits from adhering to the guidelines, the authors said this was the first study to demonstrate an association between the ideal CVH score and lowered risk of incident dementia. They noted that the global prevalence of dementia is expected to double nearly every 20 years, reaching 115 million people by 2050.

They said there is a growing consensus that vascular risk factors, such as physical inactivity, hypertension, and obesity, are driving the rates of cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer disease.

“With education, guidance and motivation, individuals can increase their ideal CVH score and potentially decrease their risk of vascular brain injury and dementia,” they concluded.

Co-authors on the study include Alexa Beiser, professor of biostatistics at SPH and of neurology at MED. Researchers from the Framingham Heart Study and MED include: Matthew Pase, Sudha Seshadri, Danielle Enserro, Vanessa Xanthakis, Hugo Aparicio, Claudia Satizabal, Jayandra Himali, and Ramachandran Vasan. Carlos Kase of Boston Medical Center is also a co-author.

—Lisa Chedekel