Dementia: Robust cardiovascular health linked to lower risk in later life

A new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine adds even greater emphasis to the importance of maintaining a healthy heart.

Previous research has drawn an association between heart health and a lowered risk of dementia but there is a lack of evidence on potential links between risk of late-life dementia and scores on standard heart health metrics in midlife and late life.

To explore this uncharted territory, Yajun Liang of Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues analysed data on 1,449 participants in the Finnish Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Ageing and Dementia study, enrolled 1972¬-1987 and assessed in 1998, and 744 dementia-free survivors were followed further into late life (2005-2008).

Participants’ heart health was evaluated from midlife to late life according to six factors classified as three behavioural (smoking status, physical activity, and body mass index) and three biological factors (fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, and blood pressure).

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