UAB Experts Help Write Healthy Brain Guidelines To Prevent Cognitive Decline

By Bob Shepard

A healthy lifestyle benefits the brain as much as the rest of the body and may lessen the loss of people’s ability to think well as they age, according to a new advisory from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The advisory was written by a panel of 19 medical experts convened by the AHA, including two from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Both the heart and brain need adequate blood flow; but in many people, blood vessels slowly become narrowed or blocked over the course of their lives, a disease process known as atherosclerosis, the cause of many heart attacks and strokes. People can modify many risk factors for atherosclerosis by following a healthy diet, getting enough physical activity, avoiding tobacco products and other strategies.

“Research summarized in the advisory convincingly demonstrates that the same risk factors that cause atherosclerosis are also major contributors to late-life cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease,” said vascular neurologist Philip Gorelick, M.D., the chair of the advisory’s writing group and executive medical director of Mercy Health Hauenstein Neurosciences in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “By following seven simple steps – Life’s Simple 7 – not only can we prevent heart attack and stroke, we may also be able to prevent cognitive impairment.”Life’s Simple 7 outlines a set of health factors developed by the American Heart Association to define and promote cardiovascular wellness. Studies show these seven factors may also help foster ideal brain health in adults.

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