Key Takeaways
- A new study published in JAMA Network Open found a connection between dementia risk and seven heart-healthy habits.
- Habits like eating a balanced diet, staying active and maintaining a healthy weight can support heart and cognitive health.
- Those who followed the habits closely had 19% lower levels of a biomarker of dementia.
The brain and heart are closely related—what affects one often affects the other. We’ve previously reported on how certain heart conditions can influence brain health. In that study, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and coronary heart disease were associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Researchers surmised that one of the connecting factors could be inflammation.
To continue searching for the connections, researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and the University of California delved deeper, wondering if there was any association between cardiovascular health (CVH) and biomarkers of neurodegeneration. A handy framework of heart-healthy habits from the American Heart Association helped them gauge CVH among adults over the age of 65.
They published their findings on March 11, 2025, in JAMA Network Open—here’s what they found.
How Was This Study Conducted?
Researchers took their data from a previous long-term study called the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), which was conducted from 1993 to 2012. While the total CHAP cohort included 10,802 men and women aged 65 and older, these researchers used data from just 1,018 CHAP participants.
Those participants had the extra information researchers needed, which included bloodwork that measured two biomarkers of neurodegeneration: neurofilament light chain (NfL) and total tau (t-tau). Participants had an average age of 73, and about 61% were female and 60% were black. Approximately 35% of the participants carried at least one gene variant that increases your risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Demographic information was collected, including age, sex, race, BMI, education level and medical history. Depressive symptoms were measured using a validated scale. Cognitive activity was assessed based on their participation in certain activities, including reading, writing letters, visiting the library and playing games like chess and checkers.
Each participant was given a cardiovascular health (CVH) score based on the American Heart Association’s Simple 7, a list of seven habits or health factors that affect your heart health. The seven include:
- Eating better
- Getting physically active
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Not smoking
- Managing blood pressure
- Controlling cholesterol
- Reducing blood sugar
In 2022, the American Heart Association (AHA) began using Life’s Essential 8, which adds getting high-quality sleep to the list of habits.
The original seven habits were assessed through a variety of questionnaires, plus reporting pre-existing medical conditions like hypertension or diabetes. Researchers also took participants’ blood pressure every three years during follow-up visits. The CVH score for each participant ranged from 0 to 14, with higher scores indicating better cardiovascular health.
Blood samples were assessed for the concentration of NfL or t-tau concentrations. Everyone has these biomarkers, but the more either of these biomarkers is present, the higher the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, which include Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Lewy body disease, Parkinson’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy and Friedreich ataxia.
What Did This Study Find?
After running several statistical analyses, researchers found that a higher CVH score was associated with a lower serum concentration of NfL. They also found that compared with participants with the lowest CVH scores (0 to 6 points), those with the highest CVH score (10 to 14) had about 19% lower serum levels of NfL.
Over time, participants with a CVH score of 0 to 6 points had an annual rate of increase in NfL of just over 7%, and those with a CVH score of 10 to 14 points had an annual rate of increase in NfL of just over 5%.
Researchers found that these associations held true independently of age, sex and race.
As for t-tau, researchers found no association between blood levels of t-tau and CVH.
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
This study suggests that a healthy diet, regular exercise, healthy BMI, nonsmoking status and the absence of high blood pressure, dyslipidemia (i.e. high cholesterol and triglycerides) and diabetes are associated with lower serum levels of NfL, a biomarker of neurodegeneration.
We’ve long reported on the connections between lifestyle and heart and brain health. Diet, physical activity, managing your stressors and getting plenty of quality sleep are top factors that, in turn, influence other factors—like weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Eating healthy can be one of the trickiest things to figure out, especially with lots of conflicting information out there. If you want some guidance, we encourage you to meet with a registered dietitian who can offer individualized attention. Or consider one of our dietitian-curated meal plans for healthy aging and brain health, like our Simple 7-Day Cognitive Health Meal Plan or our 30-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for Healthy Aging.
The Bottom Line
This study suggests there is a connection between a biomarker related to neurodegeneration and certain health factors. While we all have some level of NfL in our blood, higher levels of it place you at an increased risk of conditions like dementia. To keep levels low, eat a balanced and varied diet, engage in regular physical activity, manage your stress, get plenty of quality sleep, try to stop smoking and keep track of health metrics, including blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides. And, because loneliness has been linked with a higher risk of dementia, be sure to set aside time to spend with friends and family.
