Each Factor Equally Important
According to the Life's Simple 7 strategy, the lowest risk of heart disease and stroke is achieved by:- a BMI of less than 25
- blood pressure below 120/80
- total cholesterol of less than 200
- fasting blood glucose below 100
- not smoking
- exercising at a moderate level for at least 150 minutes a week
- eating a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables at least 3 times a day and fish twice week
"It's Never Too Late"
According to lead author Cécilia Samieri, professor of epidemiology at the University of Bordeaux, "What's important here is that combining optimal cardiovascular metrics can reduce your risk of dementia. You don't have to be perfect, but each time you add a factor, you reduce your risk." Since only seniors made up the study, with an average age of 73, and the effect was strong, she added, "It's never too late" to get these risk factors under control. This was backed up by JAMA's editors, who wrote, "Available evidence indicates that to achieve a lifetime of robust brain health, free of dementia, it is never too early or too late to strive for attainment of ideal cardiovascular health." Commenting on the study, Dr. Douglas Brown, chief policy officer at the Alzheimer's Society UK, said, "We now know that what is good for the heart is good for the head, and this research backs that up, showing that taking care of your cardiovascular health later in life may help slow cognitive decline and reduce your risk of getting dementia." It's a message we should all heed.Meet
The Expert:
The Expert:
Susan Clark is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated journalist and author who has written about nutrition, health, and wellness for 27 years. She has developed content for articles, reports, books, videos, and television news segments featuring some of today’s top alternative and integrative doctors. She earned a bachelor of science in broadcast journalism from Texas Christian University. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and numerous pets.
