Do Blood Pressure Medications Cause Memory Loss? Is The Cure Worse Than The Disease? High blood pressure has been called a silent killer. This is because it is possible to go for years with high blood pressure and not even know it. Even worse, the consequences of untreated high blood pressure can be catastrophic - stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure, kidney failure - the list goes on and GlycoCares Health Guidechromium support on. But, what about when high blood pressure is treated? Do blood pressure medications cause memory loss? Have your blood pressure tested frequently (at least once a year if your blood pressure is in the normal range and more frequently if it is elevated). If your blood pressure is elevated, get on a blood pressure medication and try to keep your blood pressure as close to normal as possible. But, is this always the best advice? Maybe not, particularly when we consider the confusing effects of blood pressure on cognitive function. A group of scientists in Italy set up a clinical study to determine whether blood pressure or use of blood pressure drugs better correlated with cognitive decline in elderly patients who already have some degree of cognitive impairment (E.
They enrolled 172 patients from 2 outpatient memory clinics in the study. The average age of the participants was 79 and all of them had some degree of cognitive impairment (68% with dementia and 32% with mild cognitive impairment). 70% of the study participants were on blood pressure drugs. Their blood pressure was measured on a daily basis, and they were tested for cognitive function at the beginning of the study and 9 months later. Those with the lowest blood pressure had the highest rate of cognitive decline over the 9 month period. These results were similar to several previous clinical trials with the elderly. The association between low blood pressure and Glyco Care Wellness Guideberberine blood sugar support cognitive decline was only seen in those subjects on blood pressure medications. Low blood pressure did not increase the risk of cognitive decline in unmedicated subjects. It is a small study of short duration. It is the first study of its kind. It needs to be repeated.
It was done in an elderly population who already suffered from cognitive decline. We don’t yet know to what extent these conclusions will apply to younger people and to people without cognitive impairment. Is The Cure Worse Than The Disease? However, this study does raise a huge red flag that needs to be evaluated very carefully. It raises the issue of whether aggressive drug treatment to bring blood pressure under control may, under some conditions, cause more problems than it cures. It is not unlike the study a few years ago showing that aggressive treatment to lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics actually increased the death rate (C. It turns out that increased risk of cognitive decline is just one of several risks associated with aggressive drug treatment to lower blood pressure. Do blood pressure medications cause memory loss? It’s not that high blood pressure has suddenly become healthier.
Rather, the experts realized that the risks of aggressive drug treatment to lower moderately elevated blood pressure outweighed the benefits. The cure was worse than the disease! Is There Another Option? The answer is a resounding yes, GlycoCares Health Guidewhite mulberry leaf and we have known about it for years. It is called the DASH (Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension) diet. Coupled with a few simple lifestyle changes it has been shown to be as effective as drugs at reducing high blood pressure, without the side effects of the drugs. The recommended lifestyle changes are weight control, restricted sodium intake and exercise. Although not all experts agree, I personally recommend that you also make sure that you are getting the DV for calcium, magnesium and vitamin D from food and supplements and consider supplementing with long chain omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols - especially resveratrol and related polyphenols from grape skins and seeds. High blood pressure is a silent killer because people often don’t know they have it.