How to Lower Your Risk of Dementia Starting in Middle Age

01New research suggests the risk of Americans developing dementia over a lifetime may be much higher than once thought.

02A new study predicts about one million Americans will likely develop the disease each year by 2060.

03That is about twice the number of people estimated in earlier studies.

04The new finding is based on a large study involving a team from major U.S.

05medical centers and other research organizations.

06It recently appeared in the publication Nature Medicine.

07The study found that after age 55, people face up to a 42% chance of developing dementia if they live long enough.

08The research showed the risk of dementia is highest after age 75.

09But the good news is that there are steps people can take to reduce the risks.

10One of them is controlling high blood pressure and other conditions, such as diabetes or being severely overweight, meaning obese.

11Health experts advise everyone, even those in middle age, to take steps to avoid such problems.

12Dr.

13Joseph Koresh of NYU Langone Health was a lead writer of the study.

14He told the Associated Press, All of our research suggests what you do in midlife really matters.

15It can be quite common for older people to take longer to remember a name or where they placed certain objects.

16But research on dementia suggests it is not a normal part of aging.

17Rather, the disease is a progressive loss of memory, language, and other cognitive abilities over time.

18Getting older is currently the biggest risk, and the U.S.

19population is aging at a fast rate.

20Dementia has many forms, the most common being Alzheimer's.

21Because the disease is linked to silent changes in the brain, signs, or symptoms of dementia, might not start showing until many years later.

22Other kinds include vascular dementia, when heart disease or small strokes limit blood flow to the brain.

23Many people also have mixed causes, meaning vascular problems could worsen existing dementia.

24Dr.

25James Galvin is an Alzheimer's specialist at the University of Miami.

26He noted that aging by itself is not a guarantee that someone will develop dementia.

27Galvin was not involved in the new study.

28But he said the latest findings on that support previous research.

29Earlier studies estimated about 14% of men and 23% of women would develop some form of dementia during their lifetime.

30Since women live longer than men, they are more likely to get it.

31But the latest research examined more recent data from a U.S.

32study that followed the heart, health, and cognitive abilities of about 15,000 older adults from 1987 until 2020.

33In that group, the risk for dementia averaged 35% for men and 48% for women.

34One reason for the different rates is that the group of people studied lived longer.

35The study shows how the risk changes with additional years of life.

36Only 4% of people develop dementia between the ages of 55 and 75.

37Koresh describes this difference as an important 20-year window for protecting brain health.

38For people surviving common health threats until 75, the dementia risk then jumped to 20% by age 85 and 42% between the ages of 85 and 95.

39Black Americans had a slightly higher risk, 44%, than white individuals at 41%.

40There are some health risks people cannot control.

41Besides age, people can inherit a gene version or variant called APOE4.

42This can raise the risk of getting Alzheimer's later in life.

43But medical researchers have identified some things people can do to delay or possibly even prevent developing dementia.

44The University of Miami's Galvin advises people to exercise, avoid obesity, and control blood pressure.

45He noted that what's good for your heart is good for your brain.

46Stay socially and cognitively active, too, Galvin said.

47He urges people to try hearing aids if age brings hearing loss, which can create social isolation.

48He added, There are things that we have control over, and those things I think would be really, really important to build a better brain as we age.

49I'm Jill Robbins.

50I'm Jill Robbins.