How High Blood Pressure Is Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

Your brain needs a steady flow of blood to stay healthy, just as a garden needs water to grow.
How High Blood Pressure Is Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease
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Your brain needs a steady flow of blood to stay healthy, just as a garden needs water to grow. However, when blood pressure is too high, it can damage the blood vessels—much like an irrigation system under too much pressure can harm plants. Over time, this damage could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The good news is that managing blood pressure with treatment and lifestyle changes can help protect your brain and memory.

How Blood Pressure Affects the Brain

Having high systolic blood pressure is associated with an 8 percent to 11 percent higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Zena le Roux
Zena le Roux
Author
Zena le Roux is a health journalist with a master’s in investigative health journalism and a certified health and wellness coach specializing in functional nutrition. She is trained in sports nutrition, mindful eating, internal family systems, and applied polyvagal theory. She works in private practice and serves as a nutrition educator for a UK-based health school.