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Rachel V Thomas

Want to Avoid Dementia? Start These 3 Habits in Your Late 40s, Study Suggests

Worldwide, more than 57 million people live with <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/dementia">dementia</a>, experiencing symptoms such as short-term memory loss, difficulty finding words, confusion about time or place, trouble with complex tasks, and changes in mood or personality. Around 10 million new cases are diagnosed every year.

Recent studies suggest that the average lifetime risk of developing dementia after age 55 is about 42%.

A new study has found that maintaining healthy blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, and avoiding smoking during middle age could significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia.

People who maintained these three health measures between the ages of 48 and 68 lived, on average, nearly 13 additional years without dementia, according to the study published in the journal Neurology Open Access.

"Our findings argue that people need to actively avert these factors in midlife as a strategy for preserving brain health for more than a decade," said study senior investigator Josef Coresh, Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone.

"Discovering new ways to delay dementia is crucial with 42% of Americans at risk for developing the condition at any time after age 55," he added.

Researchers analyzed data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, an ongoing community-based study that began in 1986. It has tracked participants for decades, measuring midlife vascular risk factors and the development of dementia.

The analysis included 12,409 adults with an average age of 56, all of whom were free of dementia at the start of the study. Researchers assessed three key risk factors:

<ul><li>High blood pressure</li><li>Diabetes</li><li>Smoking</li></ul>The participants were followed for an average of 26 years. During this period:

<ul><li>3,008 people developed dementia.</li><li>5,238 died without developing dementia.</li></ul>Those with none of the three risk factors lived nearly 13 years longer without dementia than those with all three risk factors—30 years versus 17 years from the start of the study.

Researchers also examined how midlife cardiovascular risk factors affected dementia-free survival across different demographic groups.

Among participants with all three risk factors:

<ul><li>Women lived an average of 18.1 years without developing dementia, compared with 16.6 years for men.</li><li>White participants lived an average of 19.6 years without dementia, compared with 16.0 years for Black participants.</li></ul>"These results suggest that vascular risk reduction may benefit all groups, but that certain populations, such as Black adults, may especially benefit from targeted prevention efforts," Dr. Coresh said.

"Hopefully, these results will encourage people to stop smoking and watch their vascular health closely from age 48 on."

Dementia is an umbrella term for a significant decline in mental function that interferes with daily life. It commonly affects memory, thinking, and reasoning abilities and is caused by underlying conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia.

While there is currently no cure, the WHO says up to 45 per cent of dementia risk can be prevented or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, social isolation, air pollution, and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including high blood pressure and diabetes.

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Want to Avoid Dementia? Start These 3 Habits In Your Late 40s, Study Suggests

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Worldwide, more than 57 million people live with dementia, experiencing symptoms such as short-term memory loss, difficulty finding words, confusion about time or place, trouble with complex tasks, and changes in mood or personality. Around 10 million new cases are diagnosed every year.Recent studies suggest that the average lifetime risk of developing dementia after age 55 is about 42%.A new study has found that maintaining healthy blood pressure, controlling blood sugar, and avoiding smoking during middle age could significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia.People who maintained these three health measures between the ages of 48 and 68 lived, on average, nearly 13 additional years without dementia, according to the study published in the journal Neurology Open Access."Our findings argue that people need to actively avert these factors in midlife as a strategy for preserving brain health for more than a decade," said study senior investigator Josef Coresh, Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone."Discovering new ways to delay dementia is crucial with 42% of Americans at risk for developing the condition at any time after age 55," he added.How Was the Study Conducted?Researchers analyzed data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, an ongoing community-based study that began in 1986. It has tracked participants for decades, measuring midlife vascular risk factors and the development of dementia.The analysis included 12,409 adults with an average age of 56, all of whom were free of dementia at the start of the study. Researchers assessed three key risk factors:High blood pressureDiabetesSmokingThe participants were followed for an average of 26 years. During this period:3,008 people developed dementia.5,238 died without developing dementia.Those with none of the three risk factors lived nearly 13 years longer without dementia than those with all three risk factors—30 years versus 17 years from the start of the study.Key FindingsResearchers also examined how midlife cardiovascular risk factors affected dementia-free survival across different demographic groups.Among participants with all three risk factors:Women lived an average of 18.1 years without developing dementia, compared with 16.6 years for men.White participants lived an average of 19.6 years without dementia, compared with 16.0 years for Black participants."These results suggest that vascular risk reduction may benefit all groups, but that certain populations, such as Black adults, may especially benefit from targeted prevention efforts," Dr. Coresh said."Hopefully, these results will encourage people to stop smoking and watch their vascular health closely from age 48 on."What Is Dementia?Dementia is an umbrella term for a significant decline in mental function that interferes with daily life. It commonly affects memory, thinking, and reasoning abilities and is caused by underlying conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia.While there is currently no cure, the WHO says up to 45 per cent of dementia risk can be prevented or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, social isolation, air pollution, and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including high blood pressure and diabetes.

want to avoid dementia? start these 3 habits in your late 40s, study suggests

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