Scientists claim to have identified three health measures in middle age that could delay dementia for more than a decade. A study published in the medical journal Neurology found that having normal blood pressure, no type 2 diabetes, and not smoking between the ages of 45 and 65 was associated with almost 13 additional years, on average, of dementia-free life.
The research, conducted by NYU Langone Health, analysed data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (Aric) study, which began in 1986. Researchers followed 12,409 people, with an average age of 56 and free of dementia, for about three decades. During this period, 3,008 participants developed dementia.
Those who had none of the three risk factors lived without developing dementia almost 13 years longer than those who had all three. Specifically, individuals with no diabetes, no high blood pressure, and who did not smoke at the start of the study had an average of 30.1 more years free of dementia, compared to just over 17 years for those with all three risk factors.
Dr Josef Coresh, senior investigator and director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone, stated that the findings suggest people need to actively avert these factors in midlife to preserve brain health for more than a decade. He expressed hope that these results would encourage people to stop smoking and closely monitor their vascular health from age 45 onwards.
Dr Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at Alzheimer’s Research UK, who was not involved in the study, highlighted that the research provides a meaningful picture of how midlife health may shape the number of years spent living free from dementia. She noted that high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking are linked to a higher likelihood of dementia and a greater risk of dying earlier from other conditions.