Bottom Line: Having optimal levels in more measures of cardiovascular health (nonsmoking, weight, diet, physical activity, cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure) for older adults was associated with lower risk for dementia. This observational study included 6,626 adults in France 65 or older. A lower risk for dementia and lower rates of cognitive decline were associated with each additional metric at the recommended optimal level based on an American Heart Association seven-item checklist aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease. Limitations of the study include participants who were mostly urban and white so the results may not be generalizable to other groups and changes over time in cardiovascular health metrics were not accounted for because they were measured only at the start of the study.
Authors: Cecilia Samieri, Ph.D., Universite de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France, and coauthors
Related material: The editorial, " Striving for Ideal Cardiovascular and Brain Health ," by Jeffrey L. Saver, M.D., University of California, Associate Editor, JAMA , and Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, and study, " Association of Cardiovascular Risk Factors With MRI Indices of Cerebrovascular Structure and Function and White Matter Hyperintensities in Young Adults," by Paul Leeson, Ph.D., F.R.C.P., University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and coauthors are also available on the For The Media website .
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To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website .
(doi:10.1001/jama.2018.11499)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
JAMA