31-year follow-up study: To improve brain and heart health, pay attention to these points while you are young

Many people think that young people and children may not need to worry about health problems such as high blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia

A recent study published in Circulation found that controlling weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure early in life may affect cognitive function in adulthood

Screenshot source: Circulation

The research data comes from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study

The study found:

Children whose blood pressure (systolic blood pressure) and serum total cholesterol levels continue to rise have worse situational memory and associative learning in middle age than children whose related indicators continue to be low

Compared with people of normal weight, those who are obese for life have a decline in their ability to process visual information or maintain attention as they age

By the age of 40s, those with all three cardiovascular risk factors performed the worst on all brain health indicators, such as episodic memory and associative learning (P=0.

The paper concluded that: the increase in systolic blood pressure from childhood to middle age, high serum total cholesterol, and obesity are negatively correlated with middle age cognitive ability

The corresponding author of the study, Professor Juuso Hakala of the University of Turku, Finland, pointed out: “During childhood, it is very important to reduce these risk factors through life>

Professor Mitchell Elkind of Columbia University Irving Medical Center pointed out: “Eating and living habits in childhood can often last a lifetime.

"Studies have shown that obese children have a higher risk of heart disease and higher mortality in later life, but if they grow up to lose excess weight, the increased risk will disappear

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 take at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day; this should include high-intensity exercise at least 3 days a week to promote strong muscles and bones

Reference

[1] Hakala, JO, Pahkala, K.

[2] Healthy hearts and brains get their start in childhood.

[3] WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior.