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High Blood Pressure and Memory Loss

Fitness professionals should let clients know that managing high blood pressure is good, not just for the heart, but also for the brain. Middle-aged and older adults with high blood pressure scored worse on a number of mental-performance tests than people of the same age with normal blood pressure. Researchers also found that those with well-managed hypertension performed better than those who managed their hypertension poorly, according to research results published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine (2005; 29 [3], 174–80).

Researchers evaluated 101 healthy older adults, ages 53–84. Of these, 29 percent were diagnosed with hypertension. All subjects took tests that assessed their nonverbal memory, motor speed and manual dexterity.

In addition to evidence showing that hypertension is related to a loss of mental faculties, growing research data indicate that the progression of cardiovascular disease is related to a decline in cognitive function. In light of the current study’s findings, the researchers have recommended that more attention be paid to the screening, assessment and control of blood pressure in older adults.

“The most wonderful thing in the world is water. . . . Don’t make everything too hard. If you do, the body will ultimately be weak.”

—Rodney Yee, master yoga teacher, speaking at the 2005 IDEA World Fitness Convention®


Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA

Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.

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