Common Health Risks You Can Change May Be Accelerating Dementia—Study Finds
From smoking to stress, scientists identify everyday habits that could be quietly rewiring your brain toward dementia.
Nearly half of dementia cases may stem from lifestyle and health choices, a new Swedish study suggests. Researchers from Lund University found common risks like smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease are linked to brain damage seen in vascular dementia. By monitoring nearly 500 adults aged 65 and older without cognitive impairment at the study's start, the team tracked white matter changes in the brain, key to vascular dementia, alongside Alzheimer's-related proteins.
Most modifiable risks, including diabetes and lower BMI, correlated with faster white matter alterations. Sebastian Palmqvist, a study author, highlighted how prior research overlooked how individual risk factors impact distinct brain pathologies. While age, gender, and genetics remain major contributors, the study underscores the significant impact of lifestyle choices on brain health, offering hope that managing these risks could prevent multiple forms of dementia from developing.
Experts agree that focusing on vascular health is crucial, as conditions like high blood pressure and smoking affect both the heart and brain.
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