Avoid This Common Alzheimer’s Accelerator
There are certain risk factors for Alzheimer’s that you can’t change… like your age or family history.
But the BIGGEST risk factors for this devastating disease are entirely within your control.
These include factors like inactivity, being overweight, or being a smoker.
Today, I want to highlight a risk factor that can increase your Alzheimer’s risk by 36 percent—and vascular dementia by a whopping 110 percent.
The good news? You CAN do something about it.
If you want to avoid Alzheimer’s, start by getting your blood pressure under control.
A recent study revealed that people with untreated high blood pressure had a…
- 36 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s compared to those with healthy blood pressure
- 42 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s compared to those on blood pressure drugs
- 66 percent increased risk of non-Alzheimer’s types of dementia compared to those with healthy blood pressure levels
- 110 percent higher risk of vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia
Yet, anyone whose hypertension was well controlled with drugs did NOT have an increased risk of non-Alzheimer’s types of dementia.
However, this positive news is a wolf in sheep’s clothing since only about 20 percent of adults with hypertension actually have it under control.
You see, chronic high blood pressure can damage small blood vessels in your brain, damaging parts of your brain responsible for thinking and memory.
In other words, getting your blood pressure under control is vital. Ideally, you should do this through lifestyle changes.
But even if you decide to go the medication route, be sure to work with your doctor to keep your levels in check.
Your heart—and brain—depend on it.
P.S. Brain cell “Gatekeeper” could STOP Alzheimer’s in its tracks.
SOURCE:
Matthew J. Lennon, MD, Darren M. Lipnicki, PhD, Ben Chun Pan Lam, PhD, Blood Pressure, Antihypertensive Use, and Late-Life Alzheimer and Non-Alzheimer Dementia Risk – An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis,” Neurology, September 10, 2024, issue 103 (5), doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209715
