Heart Disease In Men: Although heart disease is dangerous for both men and women, it is a bigger problem for men. According to a new study, men with high cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and high BP may experience a decline in brain health about a decade earlier than women.
A study using UK Biobank data found that high heart disease risk factors are associated with rapid brain volume loss, affecting areas of the temporal lobe that are important for memory and sensory processing. If you manage cardiovascular risk before the age of 55, the problem may be reduced.
How was the research done?
Researchers analysed data from 34,425 participants aged 45 to 82 in the UK Biobank who underwent abdominal and brain scans. The findings, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, show that high levels of abdominal and visceral fat are associated with a reduction in grey matter volume in the brain in both men and women. However, neurodegeneration due to cardiovascular risk factors began about a decade earlier in men than in women and lasted for up to 2 decades.
‘Men are more affected’
“It was important to note that heart disease has such a profound effect on dementia in men a decade earlier than in women, and this was not previously known. This has important implications for how we treat heart disease in men and women to prevent dementia in the future,” Professor Paul Edison, from Imperial College London’s Department of Brain Sciences, said in a statement.
Dementia risk
Previous studies have found that cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, are associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. However, the new study found that “men are most susceptible to the harmful effects of cardiovascular risk a decade earlier than women, with temporal lobe regions being particularly vulnerable to harmful effects.”
Multiple factors were looked at
The researchers analyzed cardiovascular risk using the Framingham Risk Score, which considered factors such as age, blood pressure, smoking and diabetes. Brain changes were measured using voxel-based morphometry, a neuroimaging technique. They found that the temporal lobes, which are important for auditory processing, visual processing, emotional regulation and memory, were the most affected regions. These functions are often the first to decline in early-stage dementia.
What can men do?
New studies also highlight the importance of managing cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity to prevent neurodegeneration. Studies show that trying before the age of 55 can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.
