Im a neurosurgeon the top 10 brain health metrics to track in your 40s and beyond
When it comes to maintaining brain health, daily brain games like Sudoku and crosswords aren’t enough to protect the mind as you age.Dr.Randy D’Amico, a neurosurgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital, recommends paying attention to systems you may not necessarily think of when considering brain health.Keeping tabs on muscle strength, hearing and other aspects of overall health as you enter middle age can help reveal early signs that something is wrong while you there’s still time to address them.1.
Blood pressure: D’Amico says he always starts with blood pressure.With age, arteries lose flexibility and become more stiff, causing blood pressure to rise.“The bottom line is that it’s probably the most underappreciated threat to the brain,” D’Amico told The Post.
“It increases your risk of stroke.It increases your risk of dementia.
It causes silent brain injury.” Tracking blood pressure is the best way to catch high blood pressure before it affects the heart or brain.About half of US adults have high blood pressure, or hypertension.2.
Cholesterol: High cholesterol adds fuel to the fire when a patient has high blood pressure, and people often have both conditions.Cholesterol can be tracked with a routine blood test.D’Amico notes that recently doctors have been paying more attention to ApoB, which is a more specific test that more accurately predicts heart disease risk.“The same arteries that nourish your heart also feed your brain, which is why cholesterol matters so much,” he said.
“You want to take care of your cardiovascular health because when you’re taking care of your blood vessels’ health, you’re also taking care of your brain’s health.”The best way, he says, is to manage cholesterol through diet, exercise and sometimes medicine, which can help reduce the risk of stroke and vascular disease.3.Blood sugar: Blood sugar can also be measured with a routine blood test for HbA1c, which reflects average blood sugar levels over the past fe...