来源：《今日心理学》
原文刊登日期：2021年5月24日
Health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and overweight or obesity, that can develop early in childhood and continue and throughout adulthood, not only increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) but can also have a deleterious effect on cognitive performance in midlife, according to a study published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal, Circulation. Specifically, high blood pressure and high total cholesterol were associated with worsening episodic memory and associative learning, while obesity was linked to poorer visual processing and sustained attention by midlife. Short-term working memory did not appear to be affected.
健康状况，如高血压、高胆固醇、超重或肥胖，可在儿童早期发展并持续到整个成年期，不仅会增加心血管疾病（心脏病和中风）的风险，还会对中年的认知能力产生有害影响，根据发表在美国心脏协会（AHA）期刊《循环》上的一项研究。具体来说，高血压和高总胆固醇与情景记忆和联想学习的恶化有关，而肥胖则与视觉处理能力较差和中年持续注意力不足有关。短期工作记忆似乎没有受到影响。
Study participants included more than 2,000 children aged 3 to 18 years who were repeatedly assessed for blood pressure, blood fats, and body mass index (BMI) in follow-up visits over a period of 31 years. Midlife cognitive testing was performed when participants—1,104 women and 922 men—reached the ages of 34 to 49. The researchers looked for associations between cognitive health, individual cardiovascular disease risk factors, and the accumulation of risk factors over time.
研究对象包括2000多名3至18岁的儿童，他们在31年的随访中反复评估血压、血脂和体重指数（BMI）。当研究对象（1104名女性和922名男性）年龄到达34至49岁时，进行中年认知测试。研究人员寻找认知健康、单个心血管疾病风险因素和风险因素随时间积累之间的关联。
In addition to obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, it has already been determined that many other factors linked to a decline in cardiovascular health over time—smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, depression, and lower levels of education—may also be linked to declining cognitive function. The more cardiovascular risk factors that accumulate over time, the stronger the association with declining cognition. The handful of previous studies that support associations between the development of early cardiovascular disease risk factors and cognitive deficits in later years used data collected only from early adulthood on. The current study is the first to look at some of these risk factors in much younger participants and find that this association between cardiovascular risk factors and dementia risk factors may begin earlier than previously noted.
除了肥胖、高血压和高胆固醇，许多其他因素已经确定与心血管健康水平下降有关，随着时间的推移——吸烟、缺乏体育锻炼、不良饮食、抑郁和受教育程度较低——也可能与认知功能的下降有关。随着时间的推移，心血管风险因素积累越多，与认知能力下降的关联就越强。之前的一些研究支持早期心血管疾病风险因素的发展与晚年认知缺陷之间的关联，这些研究仅使用了从成年早期开始收集的数据。目前的研究是第一次在更年轻的研究对象中观察这些风险因素，并发现心血管风险因素和痴呆症风险因素之间的关联可能比之前提到的更早。
It’s important to note that the study population, in this case, was all caucasian and an actual cause-and-effect association has yet to be been determined between risk factors for cardiovascular health and later cognitive decline. Additionally, a measure of cognitive skills was taken only at one point in time. Further research must be performed before any official recommendations can be made. The AHA researchers conclude, however, that taking preventive measures to protect and improve cardiovascular health in childhood may also help prevent cognitive decline in adulthood. Preventive measures generally include a healthy diet along with appropriate physical activity.
值得注意的是，研究对象都是白种人，心血管健康风险因素和后来认知能力下降之间的因果关系尚未确定。此外，仅在一个时间点对认知技能进行了测量。在提出任何正式建议之前，必须进行进一步的研究。然而，美国心脏协会的研究人员得出结论，采取预防措施保护和改善儿童心血管健康也有助于防止成年后认知能力下降。预防措施通常包括健康饮食和适当的体育活动。