---
title: "Avoiding smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure in midlife may add up to 13 dementia-free years"
id: "medical-news-today-0-avoiding-3-risk-factors-in-midlife-could-add-13-dementia-free-years"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-avoiding-3-risk-factors-in-midlife-could-add-13-dementia-free-years"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Neurology"
source_name: "Medical News Today"
source_url: "https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/avoiding-3-risk-factors-in-midlife-could-add-13-dementia-free-years/"
published_at: "2026-08-05T21:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Avoiding smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure in midlife may add up to 13 dementia-free years
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medical-news-today-0-avoiding-3-risk-factors-in-midlife-could-add-13-dementia-free-years
- **Specialty:** [Neurology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/neurology.md)
- **Primary Source:** Medical News Today
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/avoiding-3-risk-factors-in-midlife-could-add-13-dementia-free-years/)
- **Published At:** 2026-08-05T21:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- New research using the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort suggests that avoiding three midlife risk factors — **smoking**, **diabetes**, and **high blood pressure** — is associated with a delay in dementia onset of up to about 12.6–13 years when comparing people with none of these factors to those with all three. - Investigators analyzed data from 12,409 ARIC participants who were followed for a median of 26.3 years. During follow-up, 3,008 participants developed dementia and 5,238 died without dementia. - Participants with none of the three measured risk factors had the lowest dementia risk; those with all three were 2.69 times more likely to develop dementia. - The study authors and commentators emphasize the connection between **vascular health** in midlife and later cognitive health because diabetes, hypertension, and smoking contribute to vascular disease, inflammation, and blood-vessel damage. - An expert quoted in the report, Dung Trinh, MD, noted the findings are compelling but stressed that as an observational study the results cannot prove causation or guarantee an individual will gain exactly 13 dementia-free years. - The analysis and reported figure of additional dementia-free years reflect comparisons between groups (none vs. all three risk factors) and combine effects on dementia timing and overall longevity. - The source article notes demographic differences identified by the researchers (for example, earlier dementia onset in Black participants) and began to discuss genetic factors (apolipoprotein) but the source text is incomplete and did not report further details about those genetic findings or other subgroup results.
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This is according to new research published in the Neurology Open Access. The NYU Langone Health researchers determined that avoiding midlife risk factors between the ages of 46 and 70 years could help delay the potential onset of dementia. Dementia causes symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and problems with communication. [Alzheimer’s disease](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159442), the most common type of dementia, typically develops [after the age of 65](https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures). However, the recent study suggests that taking steps to manage certain risk factors could help protect against the development of dementia until later in life. ## Avoiding risk factors could add 13 more years without dementia In the new study, researchers analyzed data in the [Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study](https://www5.cscc.unc.edu/aric9/about/project_overview), a cohort study that began in 1987. They examined the data of 12,409 participants. They assessed three risk factors, which the ARIC study consistently measured: * high blood pressure ([hypertension](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150109)) * [smoking](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/10566) * diabetes. Participants were followed over a median of 26.3 years. In that time: * 3,008 people developed dementia * 5,238 people died without developing dementia. **Individuals with no risk factors for dementia had the lowest risk of developing the condition. In contrast, those with all three risk factors were 2.69 times more likely to develop dementia.** The study also found that taking care of vascular health in midlife could help protect against dementia for an additional 12.6 years. Diabetes, hypertension, and smoking are all risk factors for [vascular disease](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vascular-disease). [Dung Trinh](https://www.memorialcare.org/providers/dung-trinh), MD, an internist at the MemorialCare Medical Group and Chief Medical Officer of Healthy Brain Clinic in Irvine, CA, spoke to _Medical News Today_ about these findings. “I find the results compelling because they reinforce the close connection between cardiovascular health and brain health during midlife,” Trinh, who was not involved in the study, said. “High blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking can damage blood vessels, increase inflammation, and reduce the brain’s resilience over time.” However, Trinh also explained that: “This was an observational study, so it cannot prove that avoiding these conditions will give an individual exactly 13 additional dementia-free years. The figure compares people with none of the three risk factors with those who had all three, and ‘dementia-free survival’ reflects both the timing of dementia and overall longevity.” ## Who benefits most from vascular health interventions? The researchers identified certain demographic differences. For example, Black people were more likely to develop dementia sooner than white participants. People who carried the apolipoprotein
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