Remember, what’s good for your heart is good for your head Some
of the strongest evidence about maintaining your brain links
brain health to heart health. Even though you can’t feel your
brain working, it’s one of the most active organs in your body.
Your heart pumps about 20 percent of your blood to your brain,
where billions of cells use about 20 percent of the blood’s
oxygen and fuel. If your heart isn’t pumping well — or if your
brain’s blood vessels are damaged — your brain cells have
trouble getting all the food and oxygen they need. Any condition
that damages your heart or blood vessels can affect your brain’s
blood supply. How you can take brain health to heart: Adopt a
long-term, heart-healthy “food lifestyle” rather than a short-
term diet and eat in moderation. A long-term study of 1,500
adults found that those who were obese in middle age were twice
as likely to develop dementia in later life. Those who also had
high cholesterol and high blood pressure had six times the risk
of dementia. Reduce you