In a new study from the University of Minnesota, researchers found nearly half of all dementia cases in the U.S. may be linked to a dozen modifiable risk factors – most notably high blood pressure, obesity, and physical inactivity.
The findings suggest a large portion of dementia cases could be prevented.
As the population ages, the number of dementia cases in the U.S. has been climbing. Currently, about 5.8 million U.S. adults live with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Previous research identified 12 modifiable risk factors believed to be responsible for roughly 40% of dementia cases worldwide.
A 2020 report listed these as lower education level, hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, high blood pressure, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, smoking, depression, social isolation, not getting the recommended amount of physical activity, diabetes, and air pollution.
In the study, the team compiled data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and five other datasets.
Overall, 42.4% of dementia cases in the U.S. were attributable to the 12 factors, with three heart-related factors driving the bulk of that risk across races.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, contributed to 6.7% of those cases; obesity to 7%; and physical inactivity to 6.7%.
The percentage of dementia cases attributable to those three risk factors was highest among Black adults.
But the percentage of all 12 risk factors combined was highest among Hispanic people. Asian people had the lowest percentage of combined risk factors.
The findings point to the need for better strategies to reduce heart-related risk factors, which would, in turn, reduce dementia risk population-wide.
This can, in part, be done through lifestyle changes, combined with medication as needed.
If you care about dementia, please read studies that drinking too much coffee linked to higher dementia risk, and lack of this vitamin may lead to dementia.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about new drug to treat Lewy body dementia, and results showing this type of antibiotic drug may effectively treat common dementia.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health conference and was conducted by Mark Lee et al.
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