Maintaining a healthy blood pressure may help prevent dementia
75 million people in the U.S. have high blood pressure
In a study that spanned two and a half decades and looked at data from more than 4,700 participants, Johns Hopkins researchers have added to evidence that abnormal blood pressure in midlife persisting into late life increases the likelihood of developing dementia. Although not designed to show cause and effect, the study suggests that maintaining a healthy blood pressure throughout life may be one way to help decrease one’s risk of losing brain function.
“Our results suggest that one’s blood pressure during midlife may influence how blood pressure later in life relates to dementia risk,” says Keenan Walker, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “We found that individuals with high blood pressure in midlife may benefit from targeting their blood pressure to normal levels in later life, as having blood pressure that is too high or too low in late life may further increase dementia risk.”