As people grow older, many worry about conditions like stroke, dementia, and depression later in life. These brain-related diseases can deeply affect memory, movement, mood, and quality of life. But scientists now say there is good news: many of the risks linked to these diseases can be reduced through simple changes in lifestyle and behavior.
A large new study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital has found 17 risk factors that are shared by stroke, dementia, and late-life depression.
These are known as “modifiable risk factors,” meaning that people can take action to improve them and lower their chances of getting one—or more—of these conditions. The results of this research were published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
The team, led by Dr. Sanjula Singh, reviewed many earlier studies that looked at what increases the risk of stroke, dementia, and late-life depression. They focused only on high-quality data from meta-analyses, which are studies that combine results from many other studies to give a more complete picture. They then looked at which risk factors appeared in at least two of the three conditions.
Among the 17 shared risk factors they identified were high blood pressure, kidney disease, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, alcohol use, poor diet, hearing loss, chronic pain, lack of physical activity, poor sleep, smoking, stress, and loneliness.
They also included positive factors such as staying socially active, having a sense of purpose, and doing mentally stimulating activities like puzzles or reading.
Not all these factors are equal. Some had a much larger effect on disease risk than others. For example, high blood pressure and severe kidney disease were two of the strongest risk factors across all three conditions. In contrast, regular physical activity and mentally stimulating leisure activities seemed to protect against brain diseases.
However, the researchers noted that these protective activities might not directly prevent disease—they might instead be early signs that someone is still healthy. People who are already starting to experience brain changes may simply stop doing those activities because they become harder.
The first author of the study, Dr. Jasper Senff, explained that these brain diseases are often linked together. If someone develops one—such as late-life depression—they are at higher risk of developing another, like dementia or stroke.
This is why it’s so important to prevent them in the first place. And since the risk factors overlap, improving just one area of health might help lower the risk of all three diseases at once.
To help people take better care of their brain health, the team also developed a tool called the Brain Care Score. It’s designed to measure how well someone is protecting their brain and give guidance on how to improve. The score has recently been updated to include the new findings from this study.
The researchers believe that tools like this can make it easier for people and doctors to track brain health and take early action.
Still, they say more research is needed, especially when it comes to understanding and preventing late-life depression. They suggest that the next step should be a clinical trial to test how effective the Brain Care Score is at guiding people to better brain health and preventing disease.
Dr. Jonathan Rosand, one of the study’s leaders and a senior doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, summed up the message of the research: “Health care is getting more complex, but preventing disease can still be simple. Many of the most serious illnesses share the same risk factors. If we focus on improving those, we can make a big difference.”
In short, this study shows that everyday choices—like keeping your blood pressure in check, staying active, sleeping well, eating healthy, staying connected with others, and avoiding smoking and too much alcohol—can all help protect your brain as you age. These small changes might not just lower the risk of one disease, but several, helping people stay healthier, longer.
This study provides strong support for a unified approach to brain health. Instead of treating stroke, dementia, and late-life depression as separate problems, it shows that they often share the same root causes. By targeting these 17 modifiable risk factors, doctors and public health programs can create simple, clear plans for preventing not one but several diseases at the same time.
The findings are especially helpful because they come from combining high-quality data, and they are easy to understand. While more research is still needed—especially in late-life depression—this study lays a strong foundation for future work in brain care.
The updated Brain Care Score may become a helpful tool in guiding healthy aging, offering people a practical way to take control of their brain health before problems begin.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about dietary strategies to ward off dementia, and how omega-3 fatty acids fuel your mind.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Choline deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and what to eat (and avoid) for dementia prevention.
The research findings can be found in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
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