CNN (5/18, Lamotte) reports, “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,” research indicates. HealthDay (5/18, Preidt) reports, “Preventing heart disease may protect you from dementia,” investigators concluded after looking “at nearly 1,600 people, at an average age of 79.5, who were followed for 21 years.” Participants’ “heart disease risk was assessed at the outset, and participants had annual memory and thinking tests.” The study revealed that individuals “with a higher risk of heart disease also had greater mental (cognitive) decline, including an increase in markers of Alzheimer’s disease.” The findings were published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. MedPage Today (5/18, George) reports that according to the authors of an accompanying editorial, “the results of this study suggest a useful tool for assessing dementia risk and support recommendations to aggressively manage cardiovascular risk factors in midlife.”(SOURCE: APA Headlines)