Found here   http://www.eurekalert.org/

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Public release date: 21-Feb-2006

Contact: Niles Frantz
niles.frantz@alz.org
312-335-5777
Alzheimer's Association

New study says heart health and lifestyle are associated with
maintaining brain health as we age

Heart health risk factors and lifestyle choices, such as exercise,
learning new things and staying socially connected, are associated with
maintaining brain health as we age according to a new report from a
multi-Institute collaboration of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
published online today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the
Alzheimer's Association.

"Many of the factors that can put our brain health at risk are things we
can modify and control," said William Thies, PhD, vice president,
Medical & Scientific Affairs for the Alzheimer's Association. "This
article points to the possibility that healthier living can
significantly contribute to reducing the numbers of sick and mentally
declining older people, and reduce healthcare costs. To accomplish that,
we need more research to show us which specific combinations of
lifestyle choices, and also future therapies, will maintain our brain
and emotional health."

Key Findings
The study's salient finding from a public health perspective is the
importance of controlling cardiovascular (CV) risk factors for
maintaining brain health as we age. These are factors that people can
change, and they include reducing blood pressure, reducing weight,
reducing cholesterol, treating (or preferably avoiding) diabetes, and
not smoking.

"Based on our review of CV risk factors, the link between hypertension
and cognitive decline was the most robust across studies," said
committee chair Hugh Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc, Professor in the Department
of Psychiatry at Indiana University School of Medicine.
A related finding is the close correlation between physical activity and
brain health. Three separate, large-scale, observational studies
examined by the committee found that elders who exercise are less likely
to experience cognitive decline. However, they caution that more
research is needed before specific recommendations can be made about
which types of exercise and how much exercise are beneficial.

The authors pointed out that "if physical activity were to protect
against cognitive deterioration in the elderly, it would be of great
public health importance because physical activity is relatively
inexpensive, has few negative consequences, and is accessible to most
elders." And they said that increasing physical activity "could have a
dramatic impact on quality of life and healthcare expenditures at a
societal level owing to the large number of elders that could
potentially benefit." The authors suggest that "there would be great
benefit in conducting a large clinical trial to determine if physical
activity, possibly in combination with intellectual activity, can
prevent cognitive decline."

"We found surprising consistency across the studies," said committee
member Marilyn Albert, PhD, Director of the Division of Cognitive
Neuroscience in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine and Immediate Past Chair of the Alzheimer's
Association Medical & Scientific Advisory Council. "In particular, we
found that well known risk factors for heart disease also are risk
factors for cognitive decline, and that physical activity may reduce
risk for cognitive decline and dementia in older adults."
The committee also found that:

  €    Protective factors most consistently reported for cognitive health
include higher education level, higher socio-economic status, emotional
support, better initial performance on cognitive tests, better lung
capacity, more physical exercise, moderate alcohol use, and use of
vitamin supplements.
  €    Psychosocial factors, such as social disengagement and depressed
mood, are associated with both poorer cognitive and emotional health in
late life.
  €    Increased mental activity throughout life, such as learning new
things, may also benefit brain health.
  €    Genetic influences on cognitive and emotional health with aging are
poorly understood at present.
The article calls on the research community to study brain health
maintenance with as much vigor as is now brought to the quest to
understand brain disease. While acknowledging that prevention trials,
especially in older populations, present enormous logistic and design
issues, the authors recommend that "cognitive [and emotional] outcomes
could, in a very cost effective way, be added to ongoing trials designed
to reduce CV risk factors and disease."
The committee proposed that there would be great value now in conducting
intensive study of each of the potential risk factors identified in the
survey.

More About the Research
The article is the report of a committee to the NIH's Cognitive and
Emotional Health Project (CEHP). The CEHP's goal is to assess the state
of research looking at what may determine or influence cognitive and
emotional health in older people, and the ways in which cognitive and
emotional health may influence each other. Cognitive abilities include
learning and memory, abstract thought, language, and the ability to
focus and perform simple tasks. Emotional health includes a person's
sense of competence or ability to control and use emotions
constructively, and the ability to cope with stress.
Three institutes of the NIH  the National Institute on Aging (NIA),
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)  have joined efforts to
conduct the initiative.
"Our charge was to analyze the existing scientific literature about
factors involved in maintaining cognitive and emotional health in adults
as they age," Hendrie said. "We chose to review 36 very large, ongoing
epidemiological studies in North America and Europe."

###
The committee concentrated on studies that were either observational or
interventional, had a large cohort predominantly with participants age
65 years or over, were longitudinal in design, and incorporated a broad
range of demographic, biological and psychosocial risk factors. For
emotional outcomes, cross-sectional studies were also included. The
committee chose to review only studies with a sample size of greater
than 500. Studies had to include either measurement of memory and at
least one other cognitive domain or measurement of depressive symptoms
and at least one other emotional domain such as sense of control or
optimism. This yielded 96 published articles (66 with cognitive
outcomes, 30 with emotional outcomes) that met the criteria for further
analysis.

About Alzheimer's & Dementia
Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association,
published quarterly by Elsevier, presents the latest original,
peer-reviewed, basic and clinical research advances in the field,
including early detection, prevention and treatment. Coverage extends
from healthy brain aging to all forms of dementia, and includes
leading-edge material of interest to both the basic scientist and
practitioner. Alzheimer's & Dementia focuses on bridging the knowledge
gaps across diverse investigations ranging from the bench to the
bedside. (http://www.alzheimersanddementia.org)
About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association, the world leader in Alzheimer research,
care and support, is dedicated to finding prevention methods, treatments
and an eventual cure for Alzheimer's. For more than 25 years, the
donor-supported, not-for-profit Alzheimer's Association has provided
reliable information and care consultation, created supportive services
for families, increased funding for dementia research, and influenced
public policy changes. For more information, visit www.alz.org or call
800-272-3900.

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and
medical information products and services. Working in partnership with
the global science and health communities, Elsevier publishes more than
2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a
suite of innovative electronic products, bibliographic databases, and
online reference works. Visit www.elsevier.com.
Editor's Note: More information on CEHP is at http://trans.nih.gov/CEHP
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL FEBRUARY 21, 2006, 12:01 am ET