Midlife Vascular Risk Burden Tied to Up to 12.6 Fewer Dementia-Free Years
Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years
A 26-year study of 12,409 adults found that having three midlife vascular risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, smoking) at age 55 was linked to 17.5 dementia-free years versus 30.1 for those with none—a gap of 12.6 years. The higher-risk group faced a 2.69-fold greater dementia hazard and 5.61-fold greater death risk without dementia. Women outlived men dementia-free (18.1 vs 16.6 years with 3 risks), and Black participants had shorter dementia-free survival than White participants (16.0 vs 19.6 years).
Maintaining optimal midlife vascular health was associated with up to 12.6 additional dementia-free survival years, reflecting both higher dementia hazard and markedly higher competing mortality.
- asdfman123
Yes. The time to fix your health is now. Any unhealthy habits put time on the biological clock, and they'll just get harder to undo later. This is true if you're 20, 40, or 60. Plaque even starts building up on the arteries of healthy teenagers. It all adds up.
But don't read this and panic or beat yourself up, that's a waste of energy. That's choosing the punishment instead of the fix.
Instead, quietly start doing one small healthy habit. If you stop, don't revert to self-punishment again. Just quietly get back to it. Stubbornly persist until you've won.
- sys32768
It's mostly luck and genetics, but good sleep matters.
My mother died from Alzheimer's at 77 but wrote down her symptoms as early as 60, a full six years before her diagnosis.
Prior to her diagnosis, she walked her dog two miles a day, had an ideal weight, ate organic, never drank or smoke, used her brain constantly, and enjoyed a happy social life.
The only problem I saw with her was she was a very light sleeper.
Her aunt also died from Alzheimer's and was super healthy when diagnosed too.
Meanwhile the 103-year-old lady at my mother's former care facility is still sharp as a tack and reads daily without needing glasses.
- brandonb
Previous studies have shown that heart health at 50 predicts brain health at 75.
This study is interesting in that it quantifies the benefit as 12.5 extra dementia-free years. People with 0 risk factors had 30 years of dementia-free survival, vs 17.5 years for people with all 3 risk factors measured.
The risk factors in this specific study are blood pressure, diabetes (HbA1c), and smoking. You could reasonably also include cholesterol/ApoB, inflammation (hs-CRP), and perhaps Lp(a) as potential risk factors.
- johsole
The importance of walking can not be overstated. Walking for 30 mins every other day will dramatically improve your life if you are sedentary. If you can't do 30 minutes, start with 15.
- nickjj
If anyone wants to go down a rabbit hole, go search for topics around fructose corn syrup, visceral fat and artery plaque. It can play a substantial role in vascular health. I'm not a doctor but there's a bunch of studies posted online about this and my doctor also agreed when I asked him about it.
Avoiding fructose corn syrup is a really good idea. It's in a ton of sugary drinks. It really messes with inflammation in your body and your liver materializes it in a very similar way as alcohol. Basically both are bad and can cause similar issues.
For me personally I walk a few miles a day for 15+ years and I'm in ok shape. Cutting out Arizona iced tea (has a lot of fructose corn syrup) has made a material difference in how my body operates, I used to drink 1-2 cans a day for a while. Nowadays going 18 hours without food is no problem, I don't have mid-day tired spikes and I didn't change what I eat. I can't explain it but it feels like it reset something.
When I've been on vacation in other countries outside of the US for a few weeks, I noticed the same thing (less hungry, more energy, etc.) and a commonality there is I also didn't drink large amounts of fructose corn syrup. There's a lot of variables I'm sure but I can say I feel a difference for the better after stopping and I've now repeated these feelings when doing normal things locally.