{
  "id": 265080,
  "title": "Avoiding These 3 Things in Midlife Is Linked to 13 More Dementia-Free Years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/avoiding-these-3-things-in-midlife-is-linked-to-13-more-dementia-free",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-07T12:51:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Time",
    "slug": "time",
    "url": "https://time.com/article/2026/08/07/midlife-risk-factors-dementia/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study published in Neurology Open Access on August 5 suggests that three risk factors—normal blood pressure, no diabetes, and not smoking—are linked to living 13 more years without dementia. Researchers analyzed data from over 12,000 participants who were middle-aged at the start of the study and had no dementia. Those who met all three conditions lived significantly longer than smokers with high blood pressure and diabetes. While the study doesn't prove causation, it emphasizes that midlife health choices can impact dementia risk, with females and white participants generally experiencing longer dementia-free lives. The World Health Organization has also issued updated guidelines on preventing dementia, recommending the same three factors along with other lifestyle changes, suggesting that up to 45% of dementia cases could be avoided by addressing these modifiable risk factors.",
  "summary": "A new study published in Neurology Open Access has found that avoiding three key risk factors—high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking—during midlife can significantly increase the likelihood of living dementia-free for 13 more years. The study, which analyzed data from over 12,000 participants followed for an average of 26 years, found that those who had normal blood pressure, were not diabetic, and did not smoke lived nearly 13 years longer than those who had all three risk factors. Dr. Josef Coresh, the study's senior investigator, emphasized that midlife offers opportunities to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and potentially gain more years free from dementia. The findings underscore the importance of vascular risk factors in dementia prevention and suggest that lifestyle choices made during middle age can have a lasting impact on cognitive health.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}