Heart health is brain health. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and blood sugar don’t just affect your heart—they can also increase stroke risk and impact memory and long-term brain function.

In this episode of Baptist Health Talk, host Sandra Peebles speaks with Dr. Marcus St. John, interventional cardiologist, and Dr. Nestor Beltre, neurologist and movement disorder specialist, about how shared risk factors connect heart disease and cognitive health. They explain why keeping blood pressure in a healthy range may lower the risk of cognitive impairment, why exercise is truly “fertilizer for the brain,” and how the Mediterranean lifestyle supports both heart and brain health.

The doctors also address common misconceptions about supplements and explain how stress and depression can mimic memory problems—often mistaken for early dementia. Learn practical, evidence-based steps you can take today to protect both your heart and your brain.

Host:
Sandra Peebles
Award-Winning Journalist

Guests:
Marcus St. John, M.D.
Interventional Cardiologist
Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute

Nestor Beltre, M.D.
Neurologist and Movement Disorders Specialist
Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute