In 2023, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were listed as the leading cause of death in England and Wales.
The second most common cause of death was heart disease, which affected 10% of all those who died in the period.
Recent data shared in the 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: A Report of US and Global Data From the American Heart Association has underscored years of research suggesting brain and heart health are linked.
Their stats show that a 160% increase in dementia worldwide over the past 30 years follows the trend of heart disease, which is up 111% globally in the same time period.
In a press release, the American Heart Association’s former president and current chief clinical science officer, neurologist Dr Mitchell S. V. Elkind, said: “We now know that many of the same health risk factors that cause heart disease and stroke also contribute to a decline in overall brain health.”
Dr Elkind shared that the risk of these conditions can be lowered by following eight rules, however.
What are the 8 rules for better brain and heart health and increased longevity?
Dr Elkind noted that the brain and heart connection is helpful in some ways, as helping one helps another.
“Using many of the same tools and information that have helped us successfully address cardiovascular risk factors and reduce the burden of heart disease over the past several decades, we should be able to do the same for brain disorders and promote brain health,” he said.
The expert recommended following the American Heart Association’s Life Essential 8 rules for both brain and heart benefits.
- Staying active
- Giving up smoking, if you’re a smoker
- Getting enough sleep
- Staying at a healthy weight
- Controlling your cholesterol
- Managing your blood sugar
- Managing your blood pressure.
Similar advice has also appeared in The Lancet’s dementia prevention recommendations
Last year, the medical journal The Lancet wrote that almost 45% of dementia cases could be preventable with some lifestyle changes.
A lot of these overlapped with the heart health company’s advice; stopping smoking, exercising, managing cholesterol, sticking to a healthy weight, and managing your blood pressure all made their list.
“Just like with heart disease and stroke, most brain disease is preventable,” Dr Elkind said.
“It’s critical that as a society and as individuals we understand and make the changes needed to improve health outcomes from brain disease and, more importantly, prevent them to begin with.”
