High blood pressure in your 30s is associated with poorer brain health around age 75, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis. This is especially true for men.
The study involved 427 elderly people who were divided into two groups. Volunteers from the first group aged 30 to 40 had high blood pressure, while the second group had normal blood pressure at that age. The specialists carefully studied all the participants’ health data and conducted an MRI scan, which allowed them to find biomarkers of neurodegeneration at a later age.
Pressure measurement.© pexels.com
The results of the work of scientists published in JAMA Network Open magazineshowed that hypertension at age 30 was associated with smaller brain gray matter volume, poorer white matter integrity, and smaller frontal lobe volume. All indicators in men with high blood pressure were lower than in women. The researchers suggest that these differences may be related to the protective properties of estrogen.
“High blood pressure is an incredibly common and treatable risk factor associated with cognitive decline and dementia. This study shows that taking care of pressure in early adulthood is very important for future brain health,” said Kristen M. George, lead author of the study.
Previously, scientists from Vanderbilt University (USA) found that high blood pressure can accelerate bone aging by causing bone loss and osteoporosis.