A new study from Mass General Brigham has found that taking better care of your brain may also reduce your risk of developing heart disease and several major cancers.
The research, published in Family Practice, highlights the broader health benefits of a tool called the McCance Brain Care Score (BCS)—originally designed to assess risk factors for brain-related diseases like stroke and dementia.
Developed at Massachusetts General Hospital’s McCance Center for Brain Health, the 21-point Brain Care Score measures how well a person is managing key modifiable risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress, and social connection. A higher score reflects healthier behaviors and better brain health.
In earlier studies, a higher BCS was already shown to be linked with a lower risk of stroke, dementia, and depression later in life. But in this new research, scientists discovered that the benefits of a higher BCS go far beyond the brain.
Using data from over 416,000 adults aged 40 to 69 in the UK Biobank, the researchers followed participants for an average of 12.5 years. They found that:
Every 5-point increase in BCS was linked to a 43% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
The same 5-point increase was also linked to a 31% lower risk of developing lung, colorectal, and breast cancer—the three most common types of cancer worldwide.
These findings support the growing understanding that many chronic diseases share common, modifiable risk factors. Poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, high blood pressure, unmanaged stress, and social isolation don’t just affect the brain—they also play a major role in the development of heart disease and cancer.
“By taking better care of your brain, you may also be supporting the health of your heart and body as a whole,” said senior author Dr. Sanjula Singh, of the McCance Center at MGH. “This score gives individuals and healthcare providers a practical tool for targeting lifestyle changes that have wide-reaching benefits.”
Lead author Dr. Jasper Senff added, “The goal of the McCance Brain Care Score is to empower people to take small, meaningful steps toward better brain health. This study suggests those same steps may also help prevent serious conditions like cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
The Brain Care Score is not meant to predict specific diseases, but rather to serve as a simple framework for improving overall health. That simplicity makes it especially useful in primary care settings, where time is limited and patients often face multiple health challenges at once.
While the study found strong associations, the researchers caution that it does not prove cause and effect. Still, many of the BCS’s individual components—such as quitting smoking, getting regular exercise, and managing blood pressure—are already known to directly reduce disease risk.
The researchers also note that the study was limited to middle-aged adults and may not apply to younger or older populations. However, the message is still clear: improving your brain health through lifestyle changes may have powerful benefits for your overall well-being.
In short, taking steps to protect your brain—like exercising, staying socially connected, and managing stress—might not just make you sharper as you age. It could also lower your chances of heart disease and cancer, two of the world’s leading causes of death.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about top 10 foods for a healthy heart, and how to eat right for heart rhythm disorders.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat your way to cleaner arteries, and salt and heart health: does less really mean more?
The research findings can be found in Family Practice.
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