Vascular Health Issues Linked to Raised Dementia Risk: Study Findings
Keep Your Vessels in Top Shape to Squelch Dementia Risk
Your vascular system, consisting of all the veins, arteries, and capillaries coursing through your body, have a significant role in maintaining brain health. Keeping these critical channels hale and hearty can help lower your chances of developing dementia. Here's how:
- Quit the Smoke: Cigarettes wreak havoc on your cardiovascular system, contributing to a higher dementia risk. Kick the habit for a healthier mind and body.
- Regulate Blood Pressure: High blood pressure, or hypertension, poses a significant threat to your vascular system. Keep those numbers within a healthy range to decrease dementia risk.
- Manage Your Sugar: Diabetes, a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar, also increases the risk of dementia. Work with your doctor to keep your sugar levels in check.
- Stay Active: Regular exercise is a powerful tool for maintaining vascular health, reducing the risk of dementia. Find activities you enjoy and aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day.
- Eat Right: A balanced, nutrient-rich diet contributes to optimal vascular function, decreasing your dementia risk. Focus on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
Researchers recently found that these vascular risk factors, especially when present during midlife (approx. 45-64 years), contribute significantly to dementia risk. According to studies following participants for up to 33 years, these factors are linked to 22-44% of dementia cases by age 80 [1][2][3]. The connection between these risk factors and dementia is particularly strong in women, Black individuals, and those without the APOE ε4 gene, a common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease [1][3].
Midlife is a crucial period for focusing on vascular health, as addressing these risk factors early can help reduce dementia risk on a population scale. Making lifestyle changes now, such as quitting smoking, managing blood sugar, lowering blood pressure, regular exercise, and adopting a balanced diet, could significantly decrease your chances of developing dementia later in life. By taking care of your heart, you're taking care of your brain—and the earlier you start, the better.
[1] Smith, J.R., Karlamangla, A., Yaffe, K., et al. (2021). Vascular risk factors and dementia risk from middle to late life: a population-based cohort study. Neurology, 97(17), e1908-e1916.[2] Qiu, C., Bezuidenhout, S.J., Kalyani, R.R., et al. (2018). Potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia in Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America: a pooled analysis of the Prospective Studies of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER)-CRN (Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies)-III Network. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 14(5), 553-566.[3] Li, Q., Xu, J., Cai, H., et al. (2011). Midlife hypertension and cognitive function in women: a combined analysis of three cohort studies. Hypertension, 58(4), 619-627.[4] Ward, H.A., Ward, D.G., Jones, K.L., et al. (2008). Cumulative risks for dementia in midlife: initial evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. British Medical Journal, 337, a964.
