Do you know there's a link between a variety of heart conditions and the risk for dementia? Most people don't.

A survey of more than 2,000 people nationwide, most of them African-American, shows most people don't know about this connection. Specifically, one-third of African-Americans surveyed reported having high blood pressure and one in five said they had high cholesterol. More than half of these folks recognized that these factors put them at risk for heart attack or stroke but only eight percent knew their conditions put them at risk for dementia, a general term for brain disease that causes confusion and memory problems. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia.

Since African-Americans are at greater risk for heart disease, stroke, and dementia, says a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association, they need to take action now to ward off these diseases. The key? The same key used to prevent all sorts of health problems: A healthful, low-fat diet and regular exercise.