Keeping your blood pressure in check is important for more than just heart health — it can also keep your brain sharp as you age.
A new study published Dec. 11 in the journal Neurology shows that seniors whose blood pressure spikes and drops over time might be more likely to suffer a decline in their thinking and memory skills.
“These results suggest that fluctuation in blood pressure is a risk factor for cognitive problems beyond the negative effects of high blood pressure itself,” said researcher Dr. Anisa Dhana, a postdoctoral researcher with Rush University in Chicago.
For the study, researchers recruited nearly 4,800 people with an average age of 71. Participants had their blood pressure tested regularly over three years, and completed thinking and memory skills tests at the beginning and end of the 10-year study.
Overall, participants had an average blood pressure of 138/78. High blood pressure is defined as 130/80 or higher.
It's important to note, however, that this study was observational and could not draw a direct cause-and-effect link between blood pressure and brain health, Dhana noted.
Results showed that people whose blood pressure fluctuated the most experienced nearly three additional years of brain aging, based on cognitive tests.
On the other hand, people taking blood pressure medications showed no difference in scores on thinking tests by the end of the study, researchers said.
“Older adults should be routinely monitored for their blood pressure and any changes over time so we can identify people who may have this issue and work to alleviate it, which could potentially help to prevent or delay cognitive problems,” Dhana noted in a journal news release.
Black participants tended to have more variation in their blood pressure than whites, researchers found, and that also led to lower scores on cognitive tests.
“With our aging society and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, identifying prevention strategies to slow the decline of cognitive skills in older adults has become a public health priority,” Dhana said. “Managing blood pressure and its fluctuations is emerging as an essential risk factor that can be modified.”