STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
If we look at the brain and the heart, researchers find that when the heart is healthy, so is the brain. NPR's Patti Neighmond reports on what that means for the elderly.
PATRICIA NEIGHMOND, BYLINE: Researchers looked at seven ways people can benefit their heart - not smoking, eating a low-salt diet, maintaining a normal body weight, getting exercise and making sure blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugars are all under control. Then they looked at how well people did on brain tests. And University of Miami neurologist Clinton Wright says this is what they found.
CLINTON WRIGHT: What's good for the heart may be good for the brain.
NEIGHMOND: That's because the same things that can damage blood vessels in the heart can also damage blood vessels in other parts of the body.
WRIGHT: It can also lead to damage to tiny, little micro vessels that are everywhere in the body. And if those micro vessels are in the brain, that can cause damage that has an impact on cognitive function.
NEIGHMOND: Researchers analyzed data from a large ongoing stroke study in New York City. For this analysis, they looked at about 1,000 people and tallied up how many heart-healthy factors, like not smoking and eating a healthy diet, people had. Then they looked at how well they did on cognitive tests.
WRIGHT: Like list learning, tasks for testing memory, little problems that people had to solve to see how fast they could do things and how well they could plan and problem solve.
NEIGHMOND: At the time, they were on average 72 years old, about the age when memory and quick thinking can decline. Those with strong hearts did far better on the brain tests. And this was across racial lines. Most people, 65 percent, were Latino. Nineteen percent were black. Sixteen percent were white.
And when researchers looked at brain function over time, the findings were similar. University Of Miami epidemiologist Hannah Gardener says six years later, when people were on average 78 years old, once again, those with good heart health performed better on brain tests.
HANNAH GARDENER: When we looked at changes in their brain health over time, they showed less decline in several of the brain health domains, including processing speed, better memory and better executive function.
NEIGHMOND: And even though people often notice and focus on memory problems, neurologist Clinton Wright says it's the brain's executive function that can have a greater impact on the quality of life.
WRIGHT: So abilities to plan and organize and problem solve, and those abilities are so important for older people to maintain their independence - you know, managing your checkbook, doing all your shopping, you know, preparing your taxes.
NEIGHMOND: And these are the sort of problems that can make it impossible for some people to continue living on their own. Unfortunately, neurologist Larry Goldstein with the American Heart Association says most Americans don't follow the recommended Heart Association guidelines.
LARRY GOLDSTEIN: Things such as not smoking, not drinking to excess, getting regular exercise, following a healthy diet that's low in sodium and maintaining a healthy body weight - those are not only associated with about an 80 percent reduction in the risk of stroke but may also help people's thinking over time.
NEIGHMOND: So the message is clear. Make your heart as healthy as possible and you'll likely help your brain, too. Patti Neighmond, NPR News.
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