Helping Your Heart Means Boosting Your Brain

We have long suspected that taking care of your heart health with exercise, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, stress management and social interaction could also benefit your brain. Studies old and new support the idea that helping your heart is a good way of boosting your brain.

Adopting Healthy Lifestyles Reduces the Risk for Dementia:

A recent study demonstrated that people who cleaned up their act after a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease were less susceptible to developing dementia (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2025). Researchers analyzed data from the UK Biobank, including 77,324 participants who had cardiovascular disease but not dementia at the start of the study.

Over twelve years, those who adopted healthy lifestyle practices were only half as likely to develop any sort of dementia. They were 20 percent less prone to Alzheimer disease and 70 percent less susceptible to vascular dementia than people who did not practice lifestyle improvements.

These consisted of no current smoking, no more than moderate alcohol consumption, regular physical activity, a healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish, adequate sleep, frequent social contact and limited sedentary behavior. Those with healthy lifestyles had lower levels of inflammatory markers in their blood as well as lower levels of LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein a. The investigators hypothesize that this might help explain the benefits of lifestyle changes.

What Is the Evidence on Helping Your Heart?

A French study provided evidence several years ago that helping your heart also can reduce your risk of dementia (JAMA, Aug. 21, 2018).French researchers enrolled 6626 healthy older volunteers (at least 65 years old) in this study and asked them questions about their heart health such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The participants also took tests to determine how well their brains were working. Researchers made sure they followed up to determine if and when the study subjects developed dementia.

Those with the best scores on the American Heart Association metric were significantly less likely to develop dementia during the next eight and a half years.

Lifestyle Approaches for Helping Your Heart:

The American Heart Association metric may sound familiar. It included:

1. Not smoking
2. Body mass index under 25
3. Eating fish at least twice a week and consuming vegetables or fruits at least thrice daily
4. Regular physical activity
5. Total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL
6. Fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dL
7. Blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg

Among those who had few if any optimal results on these items, 1.76 individuals per 100 persons/year developed dementia. In contrast, those who scored optimally on 6 or 7 items were only half as likely to be diagnosed with this brain disorder. (The rate was 0.8/100 person-years.) That is a very significant drop.

Wouldn’t you be willing to follow the rules for helping your heart if you knew it would also cut your risk of dementia so dramatically? We know we would.

Learn More About Helping Your Heart:

If you would like to learn more about managing cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar without medications, you may wish to review our Health Guides on these topics.

Reducing Your Chance of a Stroke:

More than a decade ago, German investigators found that a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of a stroke. They analyzed data from nearly 24,000 people and determined that those who maintained a healthy weight, didn’t smoke, exercised regularly, consumed alcohol only in moderation and ate a healthful diet rich in vegetables were less likely to have a stroke (Stroke, July 2014).

Smoking increased the risk of stroke dramatically. Former smokers did not have an elevated risk of stroke, so quitting is protective. Heavy drinking was also associated with a greater risk of strokes, as was excess weight, especially around the waist. The investigators suggest that 38 percent of strokes could be avoided by following the common-sense recommendations above. These appear to be the same healthy lifestyle practices that you can use for helping your heart and boosting your brain.