inc.com A 26-Year Study Linked 3 Midlife Health Risks to Nearly 13 Fewer Dementia-Free Years Lucia Auerbach ~2 minutes

Recent research identified an associational relationship between the three factors and cognitive decline.

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While some risk factors for dementia, like genetics, cannot be changed, others may be modifiable.

A new study has illuminated three risk factors associated with a higher risk of dementia.

Researchers from the U.S. and China published new findings in the peer-reviewed journal Neurology Open Access that identify three middle-age risk factors associated with a later onset of dementia.

The scientists reviewed the health records of 12,409 participants spanning a course of 26 years. They found that having normal blood pressure, not having diabetes, and not smoking were linked to, on average, almost 13 additional years of life without dementia.

The most important years for the risk factors were between the ages of 45 to 65.

Individuals who had those three health hazards during midlife, which is on average age 56, were more than twice as likely to develop dementia and over five times as likely to die prematurely from a different cause.

The results show only an associational relation. The researchers measured the participants for factors such as weight and high blood pressure only once before following them over the 26-year course. Their brain health was assessed multiple times until 2022, but many factors could have changed during that time.