Aggressively treating blood pressure, cholesterol levels fails to improve cognitive function
Exercise and using medications to reduce a patient’s cardiovascular risk factors are not associated with significant improvements in cognitive function, according to new findings published in JAMA Neurology.[1] The study’s authors focused on older patients with a family history of dementia and/or self-reported signs of possible cognitive decline.
“Exercise combined with pharmacological management of cardiovascular risk factors is the evidence-based strategy for maintaining cardiovascular health,” wrote first author Rong Zhang, PhD, a researcher with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and colleagues. “However, its effects on cognitive function remain unknown.”
To learn more, Zhang et al. reviewed data from more than 500 adults between the ages of 60 and 85 who presented with either a family history of dementia or self-reported signs of possible cognitive decline. The mean age of 68.7 years old, and 63% of patients were women.
Patients were randomized to either exercise regularly, undergo an intensive pharmacological reduction of cardiovascular risk factors (IRVR) focused on lowering their blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, go through both interventions, or just experience usual care.
The IRVR intervention included two first-line antihypertensive medications, losartan and amlodipine, and then additional antihypertensives as needed. Patients were also given atorvastatin if their baseline LDL-C was 70 mg/dL or greater.
After 24 months, Zhang and colleagues concluded that exercise and IRVR were not associated with any significant improvements in cognitive function as measured by Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite scores.
The group did note that, as one may expect, these interventions were beneficial in terms of cardiovascular health. Additional research is still necessary to learn more about this complex topic.
“Given the demonstrated effects of these interventions on cardiovascular health, longer-term trials are needed to determine their efficacy in mitigating age-related cognitive decline and dementia prevention,” the authors concluded.
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Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.