In “Science Now,” the Los Angeles Times (8/21, Kaplan) reports “new research suggests that taking care of your cardiovascular system will pay off for your brain.”  The New York Times (8/21, Bakalar) reports that in a 6,626-participant study, researchers found that “cardiovascular health in older people is associated with lower risk of dementia and lower rates of cognitive decline.” The findings were published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.   TIME (8/21, Park) reports the researchers found that people with good cardiovascular health, as measured by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 Metrics, were less likely to have dementia.MedPage Today (8/21, George) reports that in another study, also published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association but involving “125 young adults in England,” researchers found “that better cardiovascular metrics were associated with higher cerebral vessel density and caliber, higher cerebral blood flow, and fewer white matter hyperintensities.” The authors of an editorial accompanying both studies observed that the two new studies examined the relationship between cardiovascular health and brain function in younger and older people, rather than middle-age people as most previous studies have. Healio (8/21, Tedesco) also covers the story.(SOURCE: APA Headlines)