Cognition Negatively Affected by High Blood Pressure

By  Rachel Stockton - rachels at foodconsumer dot org

Hypertension, a journal published by the American Heart Association is reporting the results of the so called Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS), a clinical trial lasting over 20 years.  The bottom line:  cognition is fundamentally and negatively affected by high blood pressure readings in otherwise healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 83.

Specifically, for every 10 point increase in diastolic pressure (the bottom number), there is a 7% greater risk of mental impairment.

The National Institutes of Health is planning to organize a large clinical trial to further delineate the "why" behind the cognition-blood pressure link.  One unique facet of the MSLS is that cognition vs. blood pressure was measured in all adults, not merely those over the age of 50, as most studies of its type have done.

The lesson here is that age doesn't matter when it comes to having high blood pressure.  Reducing it should be a priori, no matter what decade we happen to be living in.  Although medication may be required for some, there are natural ways to relieve blood pressure, such as 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week, drinking plenty of fluids (malignant hypertension can inevitably lead to renal failure), and reducing salt intake

In his newest book, Spectrum, Dr. Dean Ornish explains the relationship between salt and high blood pressure.  Because high blood pressure can damage the body's ability to excrete excess sodium, high blood pressure patients are advised to reduce salt intake so that the kidneys don't have to work so hard.

A good eating plan to control high blood pressure is the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which emphasizes eating a plethora of fruits and vegetables while eliminating fat laden fare, such as fatty cuts of meat.  Whole grains are also a mainstay of the DASH diet, as are low fat nuts and seeds.

Lowering alcohol intake is also a good way to lower blood pressure if you drink more than three drinks per day.  Upon drinking the alcohol, blood pressure actually drops.  But, once the alcohol starts to leave the body, blood pressure actually begins to rise to compensate for its hasty exodus.

Certainly, more will be revealed in this regard once the NIH conducts their trials, but for right now it's safe to say that hypertension takes its toll not only physically, but cognitively as well.