One of the most common ailments among Americans is high blood pressure (HBP) or hypertension. HBP opens us up to many risks including blood clots and strokes. What you may not have known is that high blood pressure is also a risk factor for both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

The Framingham Heart Study found that people with hypertension are more than twice as likely to develop vascular dementia as those with normal blood pressure, and are more prone to the risk of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease.

A 2011 study found that people who had mild cognitive impairment plus risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as those who didn’t have those risk factors. The good news is that treatment for HBP is typically easy and inexpensive and the benefit shown in that study was that people being treated for their medical conditions that included HBP, were 39 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s as those who weren’t receiving treatment.

Today we have a lot of factors that can lead to HBP, from work and family-related stress, poor diets, and too little sleep, to insufficient exercise and weight gain. These can impact short-term memory and memory loss.

“In a recent study of nearly 20,000 people over age 45, those with high diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of a reading, which would be equal to or greater than 90) were more likely to have memory problems than those with normal blood pressure readings.”  That’s important to know because for every 10-point increase in your blood pressure, your odds of having a memory problem increase by 7 percent and may also cause small arteries in the brain to weaken, resulting in brain damage.

Discovering a HBP problem early has some wonderful benefits, because the Framingham Heart Study showed that the average blood pressure of a person in his or her 40s was, “… related to his or her performance on neuropsychological testing 2 decades later.” The impact over time of a blood pressure reading from a very healthy 120/80 going up by just 40 points is equivalent to “a decade of aging.” That should motivate you to have your BP checked at least yearly at your annual physical.

In the Cache County Study, researchers found that people who followed their doctor’s regimen with the prescribed type of blood pressure medication reduced their overall risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 36 percent, and even higher when combined with other drugs like diuretics.

Good health can be achieved and maintained for most adults as a normal blood pressure of 120/80 with medication and various lifestyle modifications, including regular exercise, decreased salt intake, not smoking, weight loss if overweight, and drinking alcohol only in moderation along with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.

Think healthy — starting today — by getting your blood pressure checked and taking steps to maintain a healthy reading and longer life.

 Ron Kauffman is a consultant and expert speaker on issues of aging, Medicare and Obamacare. Ron is the author of “Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Disease,” available as a Kindle book on Amazon.com. His podcasts can be heard weekly at www.seniorlifestyles.net. Contact Ron at 828-696-9799 or by email at drron561@gmail.com.