Poor heart health predicts premature brain aging

A team of researchers at University College London used machine learning techniques to estimate the age of people's brains through MRI scans, identifying multiple risk factors

They report in the Lancet Health Longevity that they found that poor cardiovascular health at age 36 predicts a greater future brain age, and that men tend to age older than women of the same age

The older the brain, the lower the score on cognitive ability tests, and over the next two years, brain atrophy (atrophy) also increases, suggesting that this may be an important clinical marker for people at risk for cognitive decline or other brain-related diseases

Lead author of the study, Professor Jonathan Short (Centre for Dementia Research at Queen's Square Institute of Neurology, University College London), said: "We found that although the true ages of the people involved in this study were very similar, there was a large difference in how the computer models predicted the age of their brains

The researchers used established MRI-based machine learning models to estimate the brain age

The participants were all between the ages of 69 and 72, but their brain ages were estimated to be between

By reviewing various factors throughout the course of life, the researchers were able to explain about one-third

At age 36 or 69, people with poorer cardiovascular health also had poorer brain health, as did

The study did not find any link

The researchers also found that higher brain ages were associated

Dr Sara Imarisio, head of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre in the UK, said: "Insight 46's research helps to reveal more of the complex relationships

The research was supported