Avoiding three key factors in middle age may lead to a significant delay in the onset of dementia, according to new research. A study monitored 12,409 individuals aged 55 without dementia for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking habits over a span of 26 years.
The findings revealed that individuals without these risk factors lived approximately 30.1 years longer without any disease. In contrast, those with one risk factor lived 26.3 years disease-free, while individuals with two risk factors lived 21 years, and those with all three risk factors lived just over 17 years without disease. Steering clear of these risk factors could potentially extend a person’s dementia-free life by up to 13 years.
Dr. Josef Coresh, working with a team at New York University’s Langone Health Optimal Aging Institute, emphasized the importance of actively avoiding these risk factors in midlife to preserve brain health for over a decade.
The study, published in the journal Neurology, also noted gender and racial disparities in dementia-free years. Women tended to live longer without dementia than men, and white individuals had more dementia-free years compared to black individuals, irrespective of their risk factors.
Dr. Jacqui Hanley from Alzheimer’s Research UK highlighted the significance of focusing on maintaining heart health alongside brain health. The Think Brain Health campaign by Alzheimer’s Research UK encourages individuals to adopt healthy habits like regular physical activity, avoiding smoking, and managing conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, as these factors are not only associated with dementia but also with a higher risk of premature mortality from other ailments.
While there is no foolproof method to prevent dementia, research, including this study, suggests that addressing cardiovascular risk factors could potentially lower the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
