Researchers from NYU Langone Health conducted an analysis of data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, which has tracked Americans since 1986. The examination focused on 12,409 participants with an average age of 56 who were initially free of dementia. Over an average follow-up period of 26 years, scientists assessed how three midlife vascular risk factors—high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking—affected the development of dementia later in life.
The findings revealed substantial differences in dementia-free lifespan based on risk factor exposure. Individuals with none of the three risk factors lived an average of 30.1 more years without developing dementia. Those with one risk factor averaged 26.3 dementia-free years, those with two averaged 21 years, and those with all three averaged just over 17 years. In total, those without any of these risk factors experienced nearly 13 additional years without dementia compared to those with all three factors. During the study period, 3,008 participants developed dementia while 5,238 died without developing the condition.
The research also noted demographic disparities, indicating that women lived longer without dementia than men regardless of risk factor burden, and that white participants had more dementia-free years than black participants. Senior investigator Dr. Josef Coresh emphasized that the findings underscore the importance of actively managing these factors during midlife to preserve brain health. The results were published in the medical journal Neurology and contribute to broader evidence suggesting that nearly half of dementia cases worldwide could potentially be prevented or delayed through addressing modifiable risk factors.
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