Pumping Hearts and Small Brains
|
|
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Less pumping ability in the heart may be linked with a prematurely aging brain. Researcher Angela Jefferson of Boston University School of Medicine saw indications of it in data on about 1,500 people in Framingham, Massachusetts.
``Individuals in the lowest or middle cardiac index groups had brain volumes that appeared about two years older than the individuals in the highest or healthiest cardiac index group.'' (8 seconds)
That could be a worrisome sign, because smaller brain volume, or atrophy, is often seen in mild cognitive impairment, or early Alzheimer's disease. Jefferson says more research is needed. But she says keeping active to keep the heart's pumping ability strong is a good thing.
The study in the journal Circulation was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.