Avoiding three things during middle age is linked to 13 more years without dementia
Having normal blood pressure, no diabetes and not smoking between ages 45 and 65 is associated with nearly 13 additional years of dementia-free life, on average, a new study shows. Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the work also found that, no matter how many risk factors they had, women lived longer without dementia than men and that white study participants had more dementia-free years…
Researchers from NYU Langone Health found that individuals who maintain normal blood pressure, do not develop diabetes, and do not smoke between the ages of 45 and 65 are likely to experience nearly 13 more years of life without dementia, on average. The study, published in Neurology Open Access on August 5, 2026, involved analyzing data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, which followed 12,409 participants over a period of 26 years.
Participants were assessed for three midlife risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking. The study found that women had longer dementia-free survival than men, and white participants had longer survival than black participants. The researchers concluded that vascular risk reduction may benefit all groups, but certain populations such as black adults may especially benefit from targeted prevention efforts.
The study was not designed to prove causation, but it highlights the importance of actively avoiding these vascular risk factors in midlife to preserve brain health for more than a decade.
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