Link between resting heart rate and risk of dementia
- A new study finds that for people aged 60 or older, an elevated resting heart rate (RHR) may be a risk factor for dementia.
- A person’s RHR can be lowered through exercise and medical treatment. It is also easy to measure.
- Therefore, the researchers hope their discovery could represent a simple way to identify people at increased risk.
A recent study conducted at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, suggests that people aged 60 or older with high RHR have an increased risk of dementia and accelerated cognitive decline. This relationship was independent of other risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.
A small number of studies show an association between an elevated RHR and dementia or cognitive decline in the general population of middle-aged adults and people with ischemic heart disease. However, until now, researchers have not studied this association in the general elderly population.
The new study, published in the journal
The researchers measured RHR using a standard EKG machine and assessed overall cognitive function with a mini mental status exam.
They also gathered information on other factors, including age, gender, education level, physical activity and smoking. In addition, the scientists noted the body mass index and cholesterol levels of the participants.
People with RHRs of 80 beats per minute (bpm) or higher had, on average, a 55% higher risk of developing dementia than those with RHRs of 60 to 69 bpm.
The association between an elevated RHR and cognitive decline remained significant, even after controlling for factors such as current cardiovascular disease, age, gender, level of education, behavioral factors, and medications.
Although this study could not establish a causal relationship, it offered a plausible explanation for the link between an elevated RHR and cognitive decline.
Lead author Dr Yume Imahori observes: “If we carefully monitor the cognitive function of these patients and intervene early, the onset of dementia can be delayed, which can have a substantial impact on their quality of life.
Medical News Today spoke with Dr. Ian Neel, a gerontologist and associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the study. He said:
“There is a strong link between heart health and brain health. The Alzheimer’s Association has recognized this concept through its recommendation of physical activity along with cardiovascular exercise to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. This study helps reinforce that recommendation, using heart rate as a marker of heart health. “
Dr Neel continued: ‘It is important not to assume that a low heart rate will reduce [the] risk of dementia, but rather [to] To learn from this study, good heart health is associated with a lower risk of cognitive difficulties. “
The authors discuss possible mechanisms by which an elevated RHR might increase a person’s risk for dementia.
They take into account underlying cardiovascular diseases, such as
Importantly, scientists have yet to investigate whether an elevated RHR is independently associated with cognitive decline or whether underlying cardiovascular disease explains this link.
This is important because an elevated RHR is associated with an increased risk of several cardiovascular diseases, such asischemic heart disease,
MNT also spoke with Dr Karen Harrison Dening, Head of Research and Publications at Dementia UK, who corroborated the study’s findings:
“This study reiterates the link between cardiovascular health and brain health; what is good for the heart is good for the brain.
“Increase oxygen supply to the brain through exercise and give the brain enough nutrients through healthy eating[y] foods, including fruits and vegetables, and reducing alcohol consumption are ways to lessen the risk of dementia, especially vascular dementia, ”explained Dr. Dening.
“It is important that these lifestyle factors are started as early as possible in order to receive the most benefit.”
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