Having normal blood pressure, stable blood sugar and not smoking could delay the onset of dementia by 13 years – as long as you do all three in midlife, a study has found.
Researchers from the US also revealed that women develop dementia later than men – no matter the risk factors they have.
More than 900,000 people are currently living with dementia in the UK, a figure expected to rise to more than 1.6 million by 2040.
Dementia is the leading cause of death, accounting for more than 74,000 deaths a year.
The vast majority of cases occur in over-65s – with risk doubling every five years past this age. Britons over 80 have a one in six chance of developing the condition.
A growing body of research suggests that dementia is far from inevitable, however.
Making healthy lifestyle choices – including getting regular exercise, eating a balanced diet and managing body weight – has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia by more than 45 per cent.
Now the latest study, by scientists at at NYU Langone Health, suggests that meeting a series of health markers in midlife could stave off the disease by more than a decade.
Three mid-life factors could delay the onset of dementia by more than a decade, a new study has found
To measure the effect of different health factors on dementia risk, the research team analysed the medical data of more than 12,000 people with an average age of 56.
Participants were assessed for three risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.
They were then followed for an average of 26 years. During that time, 3,008 developed dementia and 5,238 people died without developing dementia.
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
Those who had no risk factors developed dementia 13 years later, on average, than those with all three.
Amongst those who had all three risk factors, women tended to still develop dementia later than men.
These women lived an average of 18.1 years from the start of tracking without developing dementia, compared to 16.6 years for male study participants.
White participants with all three risk factors also tended to develop dementia later than black participants by an average of 3.6 years.
‘These results suggest that vascular risk reduction may benefit all groups, but that certain populations, such as black adults, may especially benefit from targeted prevention efforts,’ said Dr Coresh.
‘Hopefully, these results will encourage people to stop smoking and watch their vascular health closely from age 45 on.’
The Daily Mail and Alzheimer’s Society have partnered in a drive to beat dementia, which claims 76,000 lives each year and is the UK’s biggest killer.
The Defeating Dementia campaign aims to raise awareness of the disease, in an effort to increase early diagnosis, boost research and improve care.
High blood pressure is one of the most common risk factors for dementia – yet just over a third of of Britons recognise it as such, polls show.
The condition – suffered by more than 16 million people in the UK – damages delicate brain blood vessels over time, reducing vital blood flow and oxygen.
If left untreated, this chronic damage can cause tiny stroke and structural shrinkage in areas of the brain responsible for memory and white matter injury – known as vascular dementia.
Diabetes can be similarly destructive to the brain.
Uncontrolled high blood sugar, insulin resistance and damaged blood vessels impair brain cell function, cause chronic inflammation and disrupt the normal clearance of toxic brain proteins associated with cognitive decline.
Smoking, meanwhile, has been shown to damage blood vessels throughout the body, as well as inhibit blood flow.
In the brain, this can be particularly harmful, especially in old age, research shows – with studies showing accelerated brain shrinkage in smokers over time.
Chemicals found in cigarette smoke likewise cause blood to thicken and clot easily – increasing stroke risk, a known risk factor for dementia.
Despite its devastating impact, dementia patients suffer what charities describe as a ‘cruel injustice’, with many facing high care costs, patchy support and no drugs available on the NHS to slow, cure or prevent the disease.
At the same time, dementia receives far less research funding than other major illnesses such as cancer, despite costing the UK economy an estimated £42billion a year.
Charities have also warned progress could stall further after dementia was removed from official NHS planning guidance this year, effectively signalling it should be deprioritised.
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said of the new findings: ‘This study adds to growing evidence that looking after our heart health in midlife may help us live more years free from dementia.
‘While no single action can guarantee that you won’t get dementia, evidence shows that what’s good for the heart is often good for the brain.
‘Around one in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime, yet research suggests that around 45 per cent of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented or delayed by addressing factors that affect our health throughout life.
‘Although we’re beginning to understand more about what increases our risk of dementia, there is still a lot to learn. That’s why Alzheimer’s Society funds world class dementia research, providing hope for the future while transforming lives today. Anyone concerned about their risk of dementia can find out more at alzheimers.org.uk.’
