Men are more affected by cardiovascular problems than women. On the other hand, they suffer more from the cognitive disorders associated with it.
- The brain begins to age after adolescence.
- The first signs of perceived cognitive decline appear in midlife.
- Worldwide, 50 million people suffer from dementia.
Heart health is linked to our cognitive abilities. Certain pathologies, diabetes or hypercholesterolemia for example, accelerate the decline of memory and thinking skills. In the specialist journal Neurologya team from the Mayo Clinic, an American research institute, explains that women are more affected than men by cognitive decline, associated with cardiovascular disorders.
Research work spread over three years
“It is known that men, compared to women, have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors in midlife, explains Michelle Mielke, epidemiologist and neuroscientist. However, our study suggests that midlife women with these conditions and risk factors are at greater risk of cognitive decline.“To reach this conclusion, the scientist and her team used a database, bringing together nearly 1,900 participants. These people, aged 50 to 69, did not have dementia. There were almost as many men than women. The study was spread over three years: every fifteen months, the participants had to carry out nine tests: they concerned their memory, their capacity for language, executive function and their spatial skills. the researchers looked at their cardiovascular health and the potential risk factors they carried: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking and obesity.About 79% of the participants had at least one risk factor risk or cardiovascular disease: 83% of men, against 75% of women.
More cognitive problems for women
The authors of this study found that most cardiovascular diseases were more strongly associated with cognitive function in women. For example, the annual decline in global cognition related to coronary heart disease was twice as great in women compared to men. Diabetes, high cholesterol and coronary heart disease were associated with greater language decline in women. “All men and women should be managed for cardiovascular disease and risk factors during midlife, but additional monitoring of women may be needed to prevent cognitive decline“, concludes the main author of this study.
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