The problem, the panel acknowledged, is not a lack of sensible and persuasive research on the cognitive benefits of exercise, mental stimulation and lifelong blood-vessel maintenance. For each of these broad strategies, there’s plenty of evidence that points to its general cognitive benefits (and often, to very specific ones). And similar studies suggest that dementia rates rise and fall in tandem with a population’s blood pressure and overall vascular health. That fact, increasingly borne out in research, underscores the importance of lifelong habits in delaying or preventing cognitive decline and dementia. The best studies of blood pressure and dementia, for instance, suggest that people who manage their hypertension in their mid-30s see a benefit well into old age.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 22, 2017 23:15 UTC