Heart Attack and Brain Health: What Survivors Need to Know

A heart attack happens somewhere in the United States every 40 seconds, and new research suggests the effects may reach far beyond the heart. A study out of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that heart attack survivors are 5 percent more likely to develop cognitive impairment down the road, raising fresh concern about the long-term connection between heart health and brain health.

Dr. Mohamed Ridha, a neurologist and the study's lead author, says the link between the two has been building in research for decades. "There's been strong links within research over several decades linking heart health to brain health and vice versa," he said. Researchers believe a cardiac event may speed up declines in memory and thinking over time, compounding a problem already affecting roughly one in ten American adults.

For survivors, Ridha says the conversation after a heart attack needs to broaden. "It's important not just to think about how are we going to prevent another heart attack, how are we gonna keep the heart healthy, but also thinking about how are we gonna keep the brain healthy," he said.

The good news is that many of the same steps that protect the heart appear to protect the brain as well. The American Heart Association points to eight key factors: maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking, getting quality sleep, keeping a healthy weight, and managing blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Ridha says heart attack survivors especially should lean into all eight. "Once you've had a heart attack, you are at higher risk and trying to take necessary precautions or steps to try to reduce that risk as possible," he said.

With about 805,000 Americans experiencing a heart attack each year, researchers say these findings make the case that cardiac care and brain care should go hand in hand.