Three midlife health habits could add 13 dementia-free years, study finds
A new study suggests that maintaining normal blood pressure, avoiding type 2 diabetes, and not smoking between ages 45 and 65 may give people nearly 13 more years of life without dementia. The research, published in Neurology, also found women and white participants generally had longer dementia-free periods.
A study published in the medical journal Neurology has identified three midlife health measures that may delay dementia for more than a decade. Researchers from NYU Langone Health found that people who had normal blood pressure, no type 2 diabetes, and did not smoke between the ages of 45 and 65 lived on average almost 13 additional years without dementia compared to those who had all three risk factors.
The analysis used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, which began in 1986 and followed American adults over several decades. The team examined records from 12,409 participants with an average age of 56, all initially free of dementia. Each person was assessed for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking. Over an average follow-up of 26 years, 3,008 participants developed dementia, while 5,238 died without the condition.
Results showed that those with none of the three risk factors had an average of 30.1 more years without dementia. That figure dropped to 26.3 years for those with one risk factor, 21 years for two, and just over 17 years for those with all three. The study also indicated that, regardless of risk factor count, women tended to live longer free of dementia than men, and white people had more dementia-free years than black people.
Dr Josef Coresh, the study's senior investigator and director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone, said the findings argue for actively avoiding these factors in midlife as a way to preserve brain health for more than a decade. He expressed hope the results would encourage people to stop smoking and keep a close eye on their vascular health from age 45 onward.
The number of people living with dementia worldwide is projected to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, but experts believe almost half of cases could potentially be prevented or delayed. Previous research has suggested that addressing 14 modifiable risk factors from childhood through later life might prevent or delay 45% of dementia cases.
Dr Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at Alzheimer's Research UK, who was not involved in the study, said it provides a meaningful picture of how midlife health can influence the number of years spent free from dementia. She stressed the importance of looking after heart health as well as brain health and recommended practical steps such as staying physically active, not smoking, and managing blood pressure and diabetes. While no dementia prevention is guaranteed, she noted that addressing cardiovascular risk factors may also help reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
