A study by NYU Langone Health found a link between three health factors in midlife and the amount of time people live without dementia. Researchers examined data from 12,409 people with an average age of 56 who did not have dementia. Participants were followed for about 26 years.
People without high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and a smoking habit lived, on average, nearly 13 years longer without dementia than those who had all three risk factors.
These factors are modifiable: blood pressure, diabetes and smoking can all be influenced. Their importance for the brain is linked in part to vascular health and blood supply.
By 2050, the number of people with dementia worldwide could reach 153 million. That is why controlling blood pressure, quitting smoking, physical activity and diabetes treatment may help preserve not only vascular health, but also cognitive function.
