Mental decline: High blood pressure poses higher risk

(2014 Image by Mikael Haggstrom)

We all know that highly-stressed feeling when blood pressure feels like it’s going through the roof.  What if that “roof” is actually the brain?  What happens then?

According to some recent findings, possibly Alzheimer’s.  High blood pressure not only leads to heart problems, but maybe to cognitive ones.

These findings were based on a "major study" in which “more than 9,300 people with high blood pressure” were monitored.  Those with treatments that brought pressure down to 120 fared cognitively better than those whose treatments merely aimed for 140.  In fact, there was a “19 percent lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the intensive-treatment group.”

So it might be time to put down those crossword puzzles and pick up those carrot sticks.  The latter can be delightfully seasoned with salt-free dressings.

Resources

https://apnews.com/44f44c9429014c0e8e3bfd1c45281c01

Copyright July 2018 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved