Good Heart Health May Slow Cognitive Decline in Middle-Aged Black Women

Good heart health is linked to less cognitive decline among middle-aged Black women, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

“Take care of your heart, and it will benefit your brain,” said lead study author Imke Janssen, PhD, a professor of family and preventive medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, via a press release. “Better cardiovascular health in women in their 40s is important to prevent later-life Alzheimer disease and dementia and to maintain independent living.”

Previous research has demonstrated a link between heart health and a lower risk of cognitive decline. However, less is known regarding the cognitive benefits of heart health among people of different races. In this analysis, researchers compared key heart metrics, known as the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8, which objectively measure weight, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol, as well as self-reported health behaviors, such as eating healthy foods, being physically active, not smoking, and getting enough sleep.

The analysis consisted of 363 Black women and 402 White women from the Chicago, Illinois, site of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. The analytic sample consisted of 765 women who provided 5079 cognitive processing speed and 4933 working memory assessments over the 20-year period.

The results showed that Black women with lower heart health, based on the Life’s Essential 8 metrics, had a 10% decrease in cognitive processing speed over 20 years. These women had worse scores for all 8 risk factors for heart disease, especially blood pressure and smoking. Conversely, Black women with good heart health showed little decline in mental processing during the 20-year study. Interestingly, among White women with poorer heart health, processing speed did not decline.

“We were surprised that we did not find results like those of past studies, which showed cognitive decline in Black and White men and women and found cardiovascular health to be more important for White adults rather than people in Black subgroups,” Dr. Janssen said. “We think these differences are due to the younger age of our participants, who began cognitive testing in their mid-40s, whereas previous studies started with adults about 10 to 20 years older. The next step is a clinical trial to confirm whether optimizing heart health in Black women at midlife may slow cognitive aging, maximize independence and reduce racial inequities in dementia risk.”