Scientists name three midlife dementia warning signs

 Dementia can be delayed for 13 years by avoiding three major risk factors in midlife, scientists have said.

Those with diabetes, high blood pressure and who smoked between the ages of 45 and 65 developed dementia quicker than those who did not, a study has found.

Experts from NYU Langone Health in the US studied 12,409 people from the age of 45 for 26 years.

During that time, 3,008 people developed dementia and 5,238 people died without developing dementia.

Those who had none of the three risk factors lived without developing dementia for nearly 13 years longer than those who had all three.

From the age of 55, people without diabetes and high blood pressure and who did not smoke had an average of 30.1 more years free of dementia, the study found.

Meanwhile, those with one risk factor had an extra 26.3 years, those with two had 21 years, and those with three had just over 17 years.

Previous studies have found that lifestyle choices, especially in midlife, can reduce the risk of developing dementia.

These include exercise, socialising and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol.

Dr Josef Coresh, the study’s senior investigator and director of the Optimal Ageing Institute at NYU Langone, said: “Our findings argue that people need to actively avert these factors in midlife as a strategy for preserving brain health for more than a decade.”

The study, published in the journal Neurology, concluded: “Individuals with no midlife vascular risk factors lived an average of 13 more dementia-free survival years compared to those with three risk factors.

“Vascular risk factors – including diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and smoking – are well-established contributors to dementia risk.

“These factors often emerge in midlife and exert lasting effects on neurodegenerative pathology, underscoring the critical importance of early identification and management.”

The study also found that, no matter the number of risk factors, women lived longer without dementia than men, and white people had more dementia-free years than black people.

Dr Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Rather than focusing only on the chances of developing dementia, this study asks a question that matters to people: how long can we expect to live free from dementia?

“This approach gives a meaningful picture of how midlife health may shape the number of years we spend living free from dementia, while also recognising that high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking are linked to a higher likelihood of dementia as well as a greater risk of dying earlier from other conditions.

“These findings emphasise why it’s so important to look after your heart health as well as your brain health.”

About one million people in the UK are living with dementia, the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s disease.