A longitudinal study examining midlife vascular health factors has found significant associations between three modifiable health measures and extended periods free from dementia, according to research published in Neurology.
Scientists at NYU Langone Health analyzed data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, which began tracking Americans in 1986. The analysis examined 12,409 participants with an average age of 56 who were initially free of dementia. Researchers assessed three risk factors—high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking status—and followed participants for an average of 26 years. Over this period, 3,008 participants developed dementia while 5,238 died without developing the condition.
Participants without any of the three risk factors lived an average of 30.1 additional years free of dementia. Those with one risk factor averaged 26.3 dementia-free years, those with two risk factors averaged 21 years, and those with all three risk factors averaged just over 17 years. The difference between those with no risk factors and those with all three represented nearly 13 additional dementia-free years.
The research also revealed demographic disparities, with women living longer without dementia than men across all risk factor categories, and white participants experiencing more dementia-free years than black participants. Senior investigator Dr. Josef Coresh emphasized the importance of actively managing these vascular factors from age 45 onward as a strategy for preserving cognitive health. Experts note that global dementia cases are projected to reach 153 million by 2050, though nearly half of cases may be preventable or delayable through intervention. The findings underscore cardiovascular health management as potentially beneficial for both brain and heart health.
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