A good heart might mean a good mind according to a new study.

Researchers observed people who had less blood pumped by their hearts had brains that looked older compared to people’s brains that had a heart that pumped more blood. Even people without heart disease had the same link found in them.

As the brain ages, the volume shrinks (atrophy). So a decrease in brain volume is a sign of the brain aging. Severe brain atrophy occurs in people with dementia.

The study examined the data of 1,504 people. Using a MRI machine, the researcher measured cardiac output and normalized the number relative to the person’s size. The participants were divided up into 3 groups depending on their cardiac index (how much blood their heart pumps relative to their size).

The results were the group with the lowest index had almost 2 years worth of more of brain atrophy than the group with the highest cardiac index. Even people with middle cardiac index had 2 years worth of more brain aging than the group with the highest cardiac index. The most interesting part about this study is that many participants did not suffer from heart disease.

Though the study does not explain the reasoning behind the link, it helps us understand the relationship between the mind and the heart.