Abstract P267: Brain Health and Ideal Cardiovascular Health. The Polish Norwegian Study (PONS)

Abstract

Introduction: The relation between brain- and cardiovascular health has been mainly described through cognitive function. Less is known about the relation of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) and other brain health characteristics. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that cardiovascular health is associated with brain health constructs: depressive symptoms, sleep quality and duration, self-rated health. As an additional exposure we investigated excessive TV watching, considered an addictive behavior. Methods: We used cross-sectional, baseline data of 10687 participants, age 45 to 64 years free of cardiovascular diseases in an ongoing cohort study (PONS). Data were collected through structured questionnaires and fasting blood samples. Ideal CV health was defined according to the American Heart Association criteria (7 metrics assessed at 3 levels: ideal, intermediate, and poor). Brain health was assessed as: 1) depressive mood (PHQ questionnaire, scale 0-7); 2) sleep hours; 3) self-rated overall health (SRH) (1 item, on a scale from 1 to 10); 4) hours watching TV. We used multivariable logistic models and adjusted for age, sex, education, place of residence, antidepressant medication use and past depressive episodes. Results: The prevalence of poor CVH (0-2 ideal metrics) was 63% and of ideal CVH (6, 7 ideal metrics) was 0.07%. Reporting 4 or more current depressive symptoms was associated with poor CVH (OR, 95%CI 1.13, 1.02-1.27) after multivariable adjustment. The relation was mainly driven by somatic affective rather than cognitive affective depressive symptoms. Difficulties falling asleep or sleep duration were not associated with CVH after controlling for depression. Watching TV more than 20h/week was associated with poor CVH (OR 1.40, 95% 1.27-1.55) after multivariable adjustment. A SRH score of 6 or lower was associated with poor CVH (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.46) after multivariable adjustment. We observed similar relations in a sensitivity analysis after excluding those taking current antidepressant medication. Conclusion: In this community-based study we found that there is a moderate association between poor cardiovascular health and current depressive symptoms, independent of past depression episodes or antidepressant treatment. In addition to Life’s Simple 7, monitoring depressive symptoms, sleep, self-rated-health and/or addictive TV-watching may benefit both brain- and heart wellness.