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High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence. This is what happens in malnutrition. Absence of nutrients and coenzymes (

High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence. This is what happens in malnutrition. Absence of nutrients and coenzymes (vitamins) leads to energy deficit and results in cellular damage, nervous system tries to compensate that by increasing blood flow, so it induces high blood pressure to have better chances of survival with increased blood perfusion and substrates delivery rate (glucose, lipids, oxygen, coenzymes). Immune system gets activated by metabolically impaired tissues creating even more damages at the affected areas. Changing electrolyte balance of the body by giving extremely high amounts of salt is a sure way to disrupt the metabolism with all the consequences.

rqtwteye 3y ago
"High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence." Isn't that the same?
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  "Cause" is the literal opposite of "consequence", unless you're postulating a feedback loop.
  - arcticbull 3y ago
    Depends how you read the line. If you read it this way, they are the same. > "High blood pressure may be not [be] a cause of cognitive decline, but [cognitive decline may] just [be] a consequence [of high blood pressure]." The other interpretation makes less sense. > "High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence [of cognitive decline]." The implication here is that cognitive decline causes high blood pressure, which doesn't make any sense. The author I think was trying to say they have a common cause, but I don't believe there's any evidence for the mechanism on which their thesis relies.
    - garganzol 3y ago
      The implication is that a dying brain (= cognitive decline) initiates a flight or fight response which includes adrenaline flare ups and high blood pressure as a result.
- emmelaich 3y ago
  A consequence of cognitive decline. You're right that it can be read both ways.
_zoltan_ 3y ago
can you elaborate on the salt part? are those good or bad consequences?
- garganzol 3y ago
  A body functions correctly only when electrolytes (potassium, sodium, etc.) are in their normal ranges. Any overflow or underflow out of the corresponding range causes a derangement of biological processes (= bad consequences).
zwieback 3y ago
Sure but the research in the article shows that hypertension caused a specific form of cognitive decline and that the effect could be slowed even if the hypertension itself isn't fixed. So, basically the article says there are cases where the cognitive decline is a direct result of the hypertension, the opposite of your first sentence.
- atlgator 3y ago
  But they didn't reduce the hypertension metabolically. They just treated it directly with hypertension drugs. This suggests hypertension could just be a symptom (along with cognitive decline) caused by something else.
  - Rastonbury 3y ago
    You are just speculating btw, a lot of people have primary hypertension with no apparent cause. Bodies are like that or there is some mystery ailment no one has ever been able to pinpoint, it's a leap to speculate that some hidden cause is also linked to cognitive decline. Other causes of hypertension are very well known
    - atlgator 3y ago
      "No apparent cause." That doesn't mean there is no cause. Doctors just don't know what it is in that case, which is my point. It's the same with cholesterol levels now. It used to be you got high cholesterol "from eating too much cholesterol" until they realized some people just have high cholesterol regardless of what they eat. So they continue to seek a cause.
graeme 3y ago
Perhaps you mean a third factor causes both cognitive decline and high blood pressure? There is no world in which losing cognitive capacity directly increases blood pressure. Further, it could be a third factor causes both, but also that high blood pressure independently worsens the issue. The body keeps blood pressure in a certain range for a reason.
mrec 3y ago
Interesting about the immune system link. I noticed my terrible hay fever eased a lot after my BP came way way down (from ~220 to 130-something).
apwell23 3y ago
So if you have low stomach acid that prevents nutrient absorption then you might get high blood pressure ? All these years they've been telling us some BS about eating salt and such. No one knows anything about how exactly human body works and all the parts that interconnected to each other. Even today we have specialists that treat a specific condition, a cardiologist doesn't look at GI issues. If you are going to a hospital to "treat" your chronic condition then you've already lost the battle. Once they've ruled out very obvious things like infection and such, you are pretty much on your own.

rqtwteye 3y ago

"High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence." Isn't that the same?

TeMPOraL 3y ago
"Cause" is the literal opposite of "consequence", unless you're postulating a feedback loop.
- arcticbull 3y ago
  Depends how you read the line. If you read it this way, they are the same. > "High blood pressure may be not [be] a cause of cognitive decline, but [cognitive decline may] just [be] a consequence [of high blood pressure]." The other interpretation makes less sense. > "High blood pressure may be not a cause of cognitive decline, but just a consequence [of cognitive decline]." The implication here is that cognitive decline causes high blood pressure, which doesn't make any sense. The author I think was trying to say they have a common cause, but I don't believe there's any evidence for the mechanism on which their thesis relies.
  - garganzol 3y ago
    The implication is that a dying brain (= cognitive decline) initiates a flight or fight response which includes adrenaline flare ups and high blood pressure as a result.
emmelaich 3y ago
A consequence of cognitive decline. You're right that it can be read both ways.

_zoltan_ 3y ago

can you elaborate on the salt part? are those good or bad consequences?

garganzol 3y ago
A body functions correctly only when electrolytes (potassium, sodium, etc.) are in their normal ranges. Any overflow or underflow out of the corresponding range causes a derangement of biological processes (= bad consequences).

zwieback 3y ago

Sure but the research in the article shows that hypertension caused a specific form of cognitive decline and that the effect could be slowed even if the hypertension itself isn't fixed. So, basically the article says there are cases where the cognitive decline is a direct result of the hypertension, the opposite of your first sentence.

atlgator 3y ago
But they didn't reduce the hypertension metabolically. They just treated it directly with hypertension drugs. This suggests hypertension could just be a symptom (along with cognitive decline) caused by something else.
- Rastonbury 3y ago
  You are just speculating btw, a lot of people have primary hypertension with no apparent cause. Bodies are like that or there is some mystery ailment no one has ever been able to pinpoint, it's a leap to speculate that some hidden cause is also linked to cognitive decline. Other causes of hypertension are very well known
  - atlgator 3y ago
    "No apparent cause." That doesn't mean there is no cause. Doctors just don't know what it is in that case, which is my point. It's the same with cholesterol levels now. It used to be you got high cholesterol "from eating too much cholesterol" until they realized some people just have high cholesterol regardless of what they eat. So they continue to seek a cause.

graeme 3y ago

Perhaps you mean a third factor causes both cognitive decline and high blood pressure? There is no world in which losing cognitive capacity directly increases blood pressure. Further, it could be a third factor causes both, but also that high blood pressure independently worsens the issue. The body keeps blood pressure in a certain range for a reason.

mrec 3y ago

Interesting about the immune system link. I noticed my terrible hay fever eased a lot after my BP came way way down (from ~220 to 130-something).

apwell23 3y ago

So if you have low stomach acid that prevents nutrient absorption then you might get high blood pressure ? All these years they've been telling us some BS about eating salt and such. No one knows anything about how exactly human body works and all the parts that interconnected to each other. Even today we have specialists that treat a specific condition, a cardiologist doesn't look at GI issues. If you are going to a hospital to "treat" your chronic condition then you've already lost the battle. Once they've ruled out very obvious things like infection and such, you are pretty much on your own.