Avoid Alzheimer's Through Lower Blood Pressure

With so much focus on the connectionbetween high blood pressure and heart disease many people may be surprised to learn of an equally strong link between hypertension and degenerative mental conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. This has major implications; in the United States alone around 4.5 million people have been diagnosed with dementia and the number is expected to double by 2020. Most of those with dementia suffer from Alzheimer’s.

The relationship between hypertension and dementia should be obvious. High blood pressure reduces blood flow to the brain, as it does to all parts of the body. Any reduction in blood supply is going to have serious consequences for brain cells as they are not going to get sufficient oxygen and other nutrients. Equally damaging, they will also not have the ability to get rid of toxic waste products.

In fact, a type of dementia, called vascular dementia, results when hypertension causes breakages in tiny blood vessels in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning, memory and language. Over time, this microscopic bleeding damages brain tissue leading to losses in normal cognitive functioning. Many experts believe that vascular dementia not only exacerbates Alzheimer’s disease but may even cause the condition.

With up to 70% of older people affected by high blood pressure it is a huge liability. The good news is that research shows that better high blood pressure prevention and treatment could reduce the number of people who develop Alzheimer’s disease by half. In one study of 4500 people over 60 with high blood pressure the incidence of late-onset Alzeimer’s was halved among those who were on high blood pressure medications.

Hypertension prevention should prove to be even more beneficial. Medication is often the lesser of two evils. The dangers of hypertension are serious and numerous enough to justify the use of powerful drugs, even when required long-term. Yet medications pose their own risks and should be used as a last resort only when safer, natural methods have failed.

Besides, high blood pressure can wreak havok on the body when left uncontrolled to the point where medication is the only option. Sadly, for some people pharmaceuticals may offer the only solution. But luckily, most people can learn to control their blood pressure naturally, especially if they catch it early before it has a chance to cause lasting damage. Lower blood pressure, with or without the help of medication, can help you maintain not only a strong heart but also a healthy, alert brain.

Click here to discover a genuinely effective way to lower blood pressure naturally.