Three midlife health factors linked to lower dementia risk

• New research indicates that avoiding high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking between the ages of 45 and 65 could extend dementia-free life by nearly 13 years.
• The study, conducted by NYU Langone Health, tracked over 12,000 individuals for an average of 26 years, assessing these key midlife risk factors.
• From age 55, people with no risk factors lived an average of 30.1 more years free of dementia, compared to just over 17 years for those with all three.
• Senior investigator Dr Josef Coresh stressed the importance of actively averting these factors in midlife as a strategy for preserving brain health.
• Experts, including Dr Jacqui Hanley from Alzheimer’s Research UK, emphasised that managing cardiovascular risk factors is vital for both heart and brain health, potentially reducing the risk of cognitive decline.

IN FULL

The three things you can do in middle age ‘to hold off dementia’, according to the experts