New US study: Avoiding 3 risks extends later-life dementia-free years
Heads up: a new US study says steering clear of diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking could help you stay dementia-free for more years as you get older.
Researchers tracked 12,409 adults for a median 26.3 years and found some pretty clear patterns.
More risk factors shorten dementia-free years
People with none of these risk factors stayed dementia-free for 30.1 years without dementia from age 55.
But if someone had all three (diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking), that dropped to just about 17.5 years.
The more of these risks you have, the higher your chances of developing dementia sooner.
Only 7% of people with all three were still dementia-free at age 85 (compared with 35% with none).
The takeaway? Taking care of your health now could really pay off for your brain down the line.