Cardiovascular exercise may be effective at preventing cognitive decline

A new study found the decrease of cognitive function is due to cardiovascular risks as a person ages. Evidence was based from the identification and treatment of vascular risk factors during the middle age stage of life.

The most common vascular risk factors are high blood pressure and heart disease. According to clinical and pathological research, treatment of hypertension may also help lower the risks of having dementia. Currently, high blood pressure is the only vascular disease that is curable.

The researchers have conducted tests that measure the reasoning, memory, fluency, and vocabulary of the participants and they rated each one of them with a Framingham risk score.

The Framingham risk score is a government based study that is used to calculate the 10-year risk for cardiovascular events. The test is based on the sex, age, HDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol of the body. In addition, it also accounts for the systolic blood pressure and the history of the person with regards to smoking and diabetes.

With the test being conducted, those participants that had poor scores in their cognitive tests were found to have a 10 percent higher risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Researchers say that preventing dementia and the decrease of cognitive functions can be achieved by improving the cardiovascular health of the person in early stages of life, especially as a person is between the age of 30 and 50 years old.

A more specific solution is to change the lifestyle habits. By doing so, not only are risk factors for diseases decreased, but cognitive function may be protected as well.