Midlife control of blood pressure, diabetes and smoking linked to nearly 13 extra dementia-free years
A study of more than 12,000 adults found that avoiding high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking between ages 48 and 68 was associated with up to 13 additional years without dementia.
Researchers at NYU Langone Health analyzed data from the long-running Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, which began in 1986 and followed over 12,000 participants who were dementia-free at baseline. The participants, averaging 56 years of age, were monitored for an average of 26 years, during which 3,008 developed dementia and 5,238 died without cognitive impairment.
The analysis showed that individuals who avoided high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking in midlife accumulated about 30 dementia-free years after their baseline exams, compared with roughly 17 years for those who had all three risk factors. The gap persisted across sex and race, with women and White participants generally experiencing longer periods of cognitive health.
"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 Dr. Josef Coresh, senior investigator and founding director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone.
The authors cautioned that the observational design cannot establish causality and emphasized the need for further research. They also noted that targeted prevention efforts could be especially beneficial for Black adults, who showed a shorter dementia-free span when all three risk factors were present.