A new study explains that a stronger heart in your 20s can protect your brain from shrinking later in life.
For the study, scientists in Chicago tracked 518 people for three decades, according to a report by the Daily Mail. Researchers made a note of the participants’ height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. They also interviewed them about their diet and physical activity.
When investigating their follow-up exams, they discovered people who took care of their heart had stronger and healthier brains in their 40s. Quitting smoking, watching their cholesterol, lowering sugar levels were some of the measures people took when taking better care of themselves.
'We know that when people take certain steps like exercising and eating well, they have healthier hearts,' tudy author Dr Michael Bancks of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recently created seven simple steps to improve heart health.
Life's Simple 7 includes:
1. Maintaining a healthy blood pressure
2. Controlling cholesterol
3. Reducing blood sugar
4. Being active
5. Eating better
6. Losing weight
7. Stopping smoking.
