A recent study shows that high blood pressure and diabetes can impair thinking and memory, making you feel slower. Is high blood pressure and diabetes slowing down your brain? Let’s find out what the science says.
High Blood Pressure and Diabetes
First, let’s look at what these diseases are and what they do for your body.
High blood pressure (or hypertension) is often called the silent killer. High blood pressure measures the force of the blood against your arterial walls.
Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar levels are too high. Insulin is a hormone that your body makes to help regulate your blood sugar levels. With Type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t produce enough insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, your body either resists insulin or it doesn’t make enough. Type 2 diabetes is usually adult-onset and is usually manageable by losing weight, eating well, and exercising.
Diabetes sometimes causes brain fog. Basically, your body needs blood sugar because it is the main source of energy for many of your cells! Blood sugar is also necessary for normal function of your organs, including your brain.
Sugar is the main source of fuel for your brain. If your blood sugar is out of whack, you might experience brain fog! Some common cognitive impairments linked to brain fog include decreased concentration, mood swings, and memory problems.
Is High Blood Pressure and Diabetes Slowing Down Your Brain? Let’s see what the study says!
The Study
Published in the journal Nature Communications, this study follows 22,509 brain scans, including 1,100 with diabetes.
The study “revealed ‘significant structural changes’ in the grey and white matter of those suffering from the diseases.” It goes on to explain, “When these individuals did a pair-matching test with a healthy partner to assess their memory and reaction time, scientists found they fared worse than their counterparts. The results also revealed high blood pressure was associated with worse mental decline in mid-life, between the ages 44 to 69, but had a lower impact on those aged over 70.”
In addition, the study found that high blood pressure was linked to lower mental performance. The mental slowdown was very minimal. Processing was only slowed down by a fraction of a second, however, this small decline has a measurable impact.
Professor of neurology and cognitive neuroscience at Oxford Masud Husain said, “Remarkably, the findings show that it is possible to detect the negative effect of cardiovascular risk factors, such as raised blood pressure and diabetes, on cognitive function and brain structure in otherwise healthy people.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, high blood pressure and diabetes are conditions that affect many aspects of your health, including your cognitive function. So, if you’re looking for a supplement that can help you boost your heart health, L-arginine Plus is a fantastic option.
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