Vascular Health Risk Factors Boost Dementia Risk: New Study Findings
Staying on Top of Your Vascular Health to Ward off Dementia
Your vascular system has a crucial role in keeping you healthy. This network of blood vessels takes oxygen throughout your body and removes waste products. There are several ways to maintain your vascular system's health, including avoiding smoking, keeping blood pressure and sugar levels in check, and practicing a healthy lifestyle.
Recent research published in the journal has connected midlife vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking to an increased risk of dementia. These factors seem to affect female and Black participants, as well as those who do not carry the APOE ε4 gene linked with an increased risk of Alzheimer's.
For this study, scientists analyzed data from around 7,700 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study that ran from 1987-2020 with a 33-year follow-up. They focused on three key vascular risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking.
Researchers found that midlife and late-life vascular risk factors cause between 22-44% of dementia cases reported by participants by age 80.
"Caution's warranted when interpreting these stratified analyses, given wide (confidence intervals)," explained Jason R. Smith, PhD, ScM, and the first author of the study. However, the analysis shows that individuals at lower genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease seem to have a larger vascular contribution to dementia.
Moreover, the vascular risk factor attributable risk was higher in self-identified female and Black participants, as well as those not carrying the APOE ε4 gene, highlighting the need for more inclusive and representative research.
"While this study is not designed to provide evidence on individual-level dementia risk reduction, promoting optimal vascular health as early as midlife could be vital for reducing population-level dementia risk by 80 years," added Smith.
Maintaining optimal vascular health is crucial for brain health too. Christopher Yi, MD, a board-certified vascular surgeon, commented that the study's findings show that "nearly half of dementia cases by age 80 could be linked to modifiable vascular risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking." He continued, "it's especially notable that late-life vascular health appeared even more strongly associated with dementia risk than midlife health, which challenges the idea that 'it's too late' to make a difference after midlife."
To further explore these findings, researchers call for more intervention trials, risk factor-specific analyses, and policy translation to promote comprehensive screening, treatment, and prevention of vascular risks in primary care for cognitive outcomes. As Yi emphasized, "what's good for the heart is good for the brain, and the earlier prevention starts, the better."
- Unaddressed vascular health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking may escalate the risk of not only cardiovascular diseases but also neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's.
- The science community has been increasingly inclined to study the impact of chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes on the development of neurological conditions, with a particular focus on dementia.
- A recent study byARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) investigators has highlighted the increased risk of dementia in midlife due to vascular risk factors, particularly in female, Black participants, and those without the APOE ε4 gene associated with Alzheimer's.
- Smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes have been identified as major contributors, accounting for 22-44% of dementia cases reported by participants aged 80.
- The results of the study underscore the significant role of vascular health in mental health and the importance of implementing workplace-wellness programs that address these critical health-and-wellness issues.
- In the realm of healthcare, there is a growing consensus that addressing mental-health concerns like dementia requires approaching chronic diseases holistically, including nutrition, fitness-and-exercise, and skin-care to minimize cardiovascular-health risks.
- As therapies-and-treatments for mental health advance, emerging options like CBD show promise in managing neurological-disorders and their symptoms, contributing to overarching efforts in maintaining cardiovascular-health.
- Preventive measures like quitting smoking and managing blood sugar levels can make a substantial difference in reducing the risk of vascular diseases and, in turn, the likelihood of developing dementia in the future.
- A 33-year follow-up conducted as part of the ARIC study demonstrates that late-life vascular health plays a more significant role in dementia risk than midlife health, debunking the notion that it is too late to make a difference after middle age.
- Ongoing research is necessary to better understand the links between vascular health and dementia, including identifying potential risk factors, developing more targeted interventions, and improving Medicare policies to better cover vascular screenings and treatments.
- Incorporating wellness practices, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and understanding one's medical-conditions and chronic-diseases are essential steps to protecting vascular health and, ultimately, warding off dementia.
