研究表明，保持心脏健康可以防止大脑老化

研究表明，保持心脏健康可以防止大脑老化

If you want to keep your brain sharp and focused as you age, it's important to keep your heart healthy.

如果你想随着年龄的增长保持头脑敏锐和注意力集中，保持心脏健康是很重要的。

People with more risk factors for heart disease — such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity — experienced more cognitive decline than people with healthier hearts, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

周一发表在《美国心脏病学会杂志》上的一项研究表明，有更多心脏病风险因素的人，如高血压、高胆固醇、糖尿病和肥胖，比心脏健康的人更容易出现认知能力下降。

"There are many specific cardiovascular risk factors, and each can either individually, or in combination, push the fast-forward button towards different aspects of cognitive decline," said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.

“有很多特定的心血管风险因素，每一个因素都可以单独或联合作用，从不同方面快速推进认知能力下降，”威尔康奈尔医学院和纽约长老会医院阿尔茨海默氏症预防诊所主任理查德·艾萨克森博士说。

"This study focused on individual areas of cognition, such as memory and processing speed, and helps to clarify complex interrelationships between heart and brain health," said Isaacson, who was not involved in the study.

艾萨克森说：“这项研究侧重于认知的各个领域，如记忆和处理速度，有助于阐明心脏和大脑健康之间复杂的相互关系。” 他没有参与这项研究。

The study followed over 1,500 dementia-free people with an average age of 79.5 for 21 years and found those at highest risk for poor heart health had faster declines in memory and the ability to compare letters, numbers, objects, pictures or patterns.

这项研究对1500多名平均年龄为79.5岁的无痴呆者进行了21年的跟踪调查，发现那些心脏健康状况最差的人记忆力下降更快，比较字母、数字、物体、图片或图案的能力下降更快。

Some of those people also underwent brain scans, which found shrinkage of the brain's memory center, the hippocampus, and an increase of white spots in the brain associated with declines in functionality.

其中一些人还接受了脑部扫描，结果发现大脑记忆中心海马体萎缩，大脑白点增多，这与功能减退有关。

"High blood pressure and diabetes can accelerate shrinkage of the brain. High cholesterol can increase the bad protein that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.

“高血压和糖尿病会加速大脑的收缩。”高胆固醇会增加在阿尔茨海默氏症患者大脑中积累的不良蛋白质。

How to lessen your chances of dementia

如何降低患痴呆症的几率

For those of us who want to improve our chances for a healthy brain in older age, "making active lifestyle changes and seeing a doctor who can help control modifiable risk factors -- such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and tobacco use," said Isaacson, "is our best bet to maintain optimal brain function."

艾萨克森说，对于我们中那些希望在老年期提高大脑健康机会的人来说，“积极改变生活方式，寻求可以帮助控制可改变的危险因素的医生，如高血压、胆固醇、血糖和吸烟等，是我们保持最佳脑功能的最佳选择。”

Here are some key ways to improve your heart health, and therefore your brain:

这里有一些关键的方法来改善你的心脏健康，从而改善你的大脑:

Exercise. A recent study finds you don't have to be young and in great shape to reap the benefits of exercise. It only took six months of aerobic exercise, four days a week, to improve thinking and verbal skills in a group of older adults.

锻炼。最近的一项研究发现,你不需要年轻,也不需要身材好,才能获得锻炼的好处。在一组老年人中，每周4天的有氧运动只需要6个月就可以提高他们的思维和语言能力。

Avoid transfats and other unhealthy fats. Trans fat has been linked to a 75% higher risk for Alzheimer's. While many companies have cut back, it can still be found in many processed foods and snacks so check food labels carefully.

避免反式脂肪和其他不健康的脂肪。反式脂肪会使患老年痴呆症的风险增加75%。虽然许多公司已经减少了添加量，但在许多加工食品和零食中仍然可以发现它，所以要仔细检查食品标签。

Take care of your teeth. People with gum disease often have the same risk factors for heart disease, so be sure to brush and floss your teeth twice daily.

照顾好你的牙齿。患有牙龈疾病的人患心脏病的风险因素通常是相同的，所以一定要每天刷牙和用牙线清洁牙齿两次。

Improve your sleep. Poor sleep has been linked to cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension and diabetes. It can also increase plaquesthat cause artery blockage.

改善你的睡眠。睡眠不好与高血压和糖尿病等心血管风险因素有关。它也会增加引起动脉堵塞的斑块。

Stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says being exposed to secondhand smoke increases a non-smoker's risk of developing heart disease or stroke by about 30%.

停止吸烟，避免二手烟。美国疾病控制和预防中心表示，接触二手烟会使非吸烟者患心脏病或中风的风险增加约30%。