Brain health is as important as heart and body health, which people think could be a complicated process thinking that maybe ways and methods to keep it healthy vary in different ways.
Studies, however, have recently revealed that as you continue to aim in keeping your heart healthy, you may also unsuspectingly be taking care of your brain as well- psychologically, physically and nutritionally.
In a recently published study by the Journal of the American Heart Association, a team from the Northern Manhattan Study which is an undertaking that focuses on risk factors for stroke attack among the dominant race like white, blacks and Hispanics in the Washington Heights of New York City, pointed out that most of the healthy activities focused on keeping the heart healthy are also replicated in the brain.
The team headed by University of Miami epidemiologist Hannah Gardener said that their study wanted to determine how people aged between 60 to 70 would fare on repeated memory tests and mental acuity for a period of six years and identify any differences a heart-focused healthy lifestyle would have its effects on the brain aside from measures to prevent stroke attacks.
The initial stage of the research involved more than 1,000 volunteers who had their cardiovascular condition evaluated using standard measurements of Life’s Simple 7 developed by the American Heart Association.
Among the 7 key factors of the testing model were known to boost the health of the heart and blood vessels, as well as maintaining good nutrition and a normal body weight, eliminate smoking, regular exercise and to keep blood sugar, cholesterol and pressure levels within the healthy range.
To measure the mental aspect of the study, Gardener and her team conducted a variety of tests on judgment, memory, planning ability, mental alertness and several other problem solving assessments.
“The results were striking among all demographic groups,” Gardener said, pointing out that those who garnered high scores on cardiovascular health are the same ones who scored better on the mental assessments.
A follow-up assessment conducted several years later on mental acuity also revealed that the progressive benefits on the brain were sustained by the healthy-heart model espoused by the Life’s Simple 7 approach as they also scored higher on the testing model.
The results speak for itself, keeping the heart and body healthy does in fact benefit the brain as well, the researchers added.
The post What’s Good For The Heart Is Good For The Mind appeared first on NUTRITION CLUB CANADA.
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