Science has proven and many people are aware that there are many factors that contribute to heart health. Some of them are lifestyle, diet, environment, and genetics. However, did you now that a person’s mental health has a link to his cardiovascular health?

Researchers from Brigham Young University conducted a study by gathering information from individuals over 45 years old who had previously studied Reasons for Geographical and Racial Differences in Strokes. After gathering their scores based on the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Simple 7” guidelines, the researchers conducted three different tests on the participants.

“They found the participants with intermediate and high levels of cardiovascular health had lower rates of cognitive impairment compared to people with low levels of cardiovascular health,” says an article by Jennifer Keel. “Of the participants, 4.6 percent with the lowest scores developed some form of cognitive impairment compared to 2.7 percent and 2.6 percent in people with intermediate and high levels of cardiovascular health, Medical News Today reported.”