Better brain care score linked to lower risk of heart disease and cancer

A new study by researchers from mass-general Brigham has shown that a higher McCance brain care score not only associates with the risk of brain-related disorders such as stroke, dementia and depression, but also strongly associated with the development of cardiovascular disease and three common types of cancer. Their results are published in Family practice.

Although the McCance Brain Care score was originally developed to tackle changeable risk factors for brain diseases, we also found that it is associated with the incidence of cardiovascular disease and common cancers. These findings reinforce the idea that brain disorders, heart disorders and cancer share common risk factors and that by taking better care of your brain, you also support the health of your heart and body as a whole at the same time. “

Sanjula Singh, MD, PhD, MSC, senior author From the McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)

The McCance Brain Care Score (BCS) has been developed at mass-general Brigham and is a 21-point tool that is designed to assess modifiable risk factors that influence the health of the brain. It evaluates physical, lifestyle and social-emotional domains related to the risk of age-related brain diseases. Previous studies conducted by Singh and her team showed that a higher BCS, which indicates better brain care, employees with a lower risk of stroke, dementia and late-life depression.

Neurological diseases such as stroke, dementia and depression in late life are often powered by a combination of adaptable risk factors. Likewise, cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease, stroke and heart failure and the three most common cancers worldwide (lung, colorectal and breast cancer) share many of the same risk factors. In fact, at least 80% of cardiovascular disease and 50% of cancer cases are due to changeable behavior such as poor food, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, increased blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, as well as psychosocial factors such as stress and social insulation.

Given this overlap, the team used data from the British Biobank to analyze health results in 416,370 people aged 40 to 69. They discovered that a 5-point higher BCS was associated at the start with a 43% lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease, stroke and heart failure-over a median follow-up of 12.5 years. For cancer, a 5-point increase in BCS was associated with a 31% lower incidence of lung, colorectal and breast cancer.

The authors recognized different limitations. First, although the findings reveal strong associations, the study does not determine causality, although rather evidence suggests that some individual components of the BCS, such as smoking, physical activity and blood pressure control, have causal ties with specific results. Secondly, because the British biobank only includes participants aged 40 to 69 when registration, the findings are not allowed to generalize to younger or older populations. Finally, although the BCS offers a wide, accessible measure of brain health, it is not designed as a disease -specific predictive model. Instead, it serves as a practical framework to help individuals to identify meaningful, feasible lifestyle changes that support brain and possibly systemic health care.

“The goal of the McCance Brain Care score is to enable individuals to take small, meaningful steps in the direction of better brain health,” said main author Jasper Senff, MD, who carried out this work as a post -doctoral fellow in the Singh Lab at Brain Care Labs at MGH. “It is better to take care of your brain by making progress in your brain care score can also be linked to broader health benefits, including a lower risk of heart conditions and cancer.”

“Primary care providers around the world are under growing pressure to manage complex health needs within a limited time,” said Singh. “A simple, easy-to-use tool such as the McCance Brain Care score maintains enormous promise, not only for supporting the health of the brain, but also to help tackle adaptable risk factors for a wider range of chronic diseases in a practical, time-efficient way.”