Experts unpack the surprising link between heart health and cognitive functioning.
Making cardio exercise a staple in your workout routine has long been touted for its health benefits: improving heart and lung function, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improving sleep, easing stress levels, and keeping bones strong.
Some perks may seem unexpected. Exhibit A: Research suggests having good cardiovascular fitness is connected to better brain health and cognitive functioning as you age.
That’s right, if you want your noggin to stay sharp for years to come, engaging in some of your favorite ways to get your heart rate up — walking, running, swimming, biking, dancing, or even chores like gardening — can go a long way.
Why Good Heart Health Benefits Your Brain
Cardiovascular diseases and cognitive decline share many risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and physical inactivity, explains Patrick Fratellone, M.D., a cardiologist and the founder of Fratellone Medical Associates.
“The heart delivers oxygen and nutrients to the brain. A healthy cardiovascular system supports the brain by ensuring sufficient blood flow and oxygen,” he says.
But if your blood vessels are too narrow — due to high blood pressure, for instance — this limits blood flow to your brain, which can result in strokes and even memory loss, according to Dr. Fratellone.
Speaking of memory loss, cardio exercise has been shown to improve overall cognitive functioning, which refers to the ability to remember, understand, learn, speak, reason, judge, be aware, and have intuition, according to the American Psychological Association.
Research backs this up: A March 2018 study in Neurology followed nearly 1,500 women ages 38 to 60 between 1968 and 2012. The researchers found that those who had high cardio fitness had an 88 percent lower risk of developing dementia than those who had medium cardio fitness. (“High” cardio fitness was categorized as those who could sustain a max of 120 watts or more for six minutes on a stationary exercise bike. “Medium” cardio fitness was categorized as those who could sustain a max of 88 to 112 watts.)
Exercise’s effect on the size of the hippocampus — the part of your brain responsible for memory, spatial navigation, and emotional regulation — may be at play. With aging and neurological disease, hippocampal volume can decrease. But a March 2021 meta-analysis in the journal Hippocampus found that older adults who did regular aerobic activity for six months or more increased the size of their hippocampus — and that means it could potentially help treat conditions tied to the hippocampal atrophy, like dementia.
It’s never too early to reap cardio’s brain benefits, according to the findings of a February 2019 study in Neurology. Those as young as 20 can see improvements in executive functioning — the ability to reason, plan, and problem-solve — with aerobic exercise training.
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How to Improve Your Heart Health
To better your heart — and, in turn, brain — health, stick with the basics. Any exercise that increases your heart rate for an extended period of time (aka cardio exercise) can get the job done.
While high-intensity activity like sprinting certainly fits the bill, it’s important to balance that out with slower-paced activities, according to Abha Rajbhandari, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience and a member of the Brain and Body Research Institute at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. Anything that increases blood flow throughout your body by getting your heart rate even slightly elevated — breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, gardening — counts, she says.
To reap the heart-health benefits of exercise, it’s important to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity per week, according to the American Heart Association.
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The foods you eat also play a role in keeping your ticker in good shape, according to both Dr. Fratellone and Rajbhandari. Dr. Fratellone suggests prioritizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins in your diet. People in parts of the world who eat these foods regularly have a very low incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, Rajbhandari says.
Finally, Rajbhandari emphasizes the importance of getting enough sleep. “One of the major areas of our health that's affected by lack of sleep is heart health,” she says. Indeed, shut-eye lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, helping your cardiovascular system rest and recover.