Once again, a study shows that an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure. According to a report in the July issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry , people with mild high blood pressure may be able to prevent mental deterioration later in life by lowering their blood pressure.
Senile dementia occurs when a person's mental state deteriorates as they age.
To study the effect of blood pressure on senility, Cervilla followed nearly 400 older adults with high blood pressure for nine years or more. Along with family health histories, the researchers assessed their mental function in their 80s and 90s. During the interim, they monitored blood pressure and alcohol intake closely. The data showed that dementia is associated with things you can't control, like a family history of heart disease, advancing age, and low intelligence. Fortunately, it's also linked to things you can control, such as high blood pressure.