Researchers have been studying how our lifestyle choices can affect our risk of getting dementia as we grow older. Dementia is a serious illness that causes memory loss and confusion, and it can be very hard on both the person who has it and their family.
But there’s good news. A new study shows that even if dementia runs in your family, making healthy choices can lower your chances of getting the disease.
The research is based on a checklist called “Life’s Simple 7.” These are seven easy steps you can take to improve your heart and brain health:
Stay active—move your body with exercise like walking.
Eat healthy—fill your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Lose weight if needed—being at a healthy weight helps your brain and heart.
Don’t smoke—smoking is harmful in many ways.
Control your blood pressure—high blood pressure can hurt your brain.
Keep your cholesterol in check—too much cholesterol is risky.
Manage your blood sugar—this helps lower your chances of diabetes, which can affect brain health too.
The study was led by Dr. Adrienne Tin and her team at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. They followed over 11,000 people for 30 years. Some had European roots, and others had African roots. The researchers wanted to see who developed dementia and how healthy their habits were.
Here’s what they found: even people with a high risk of dementia because of their family history were less likely to get the disease if they followed the Life’s Simple 7 steps. Among people with European backgrounds, each healthy habit reduced the chance of getting dementia by 9%.
People who followed many of the steps had up to a 43% lower risk. For people of African background, healthy living helped too, but the results weren’t as strong because fewer people took part in the study.
The researchers pointed out a few limits. For example, many of the people with African roots came from just one area, and there weren’t enough of them in the study to draw strong conclusions for everyone. But this study still shows that your lifestyle can make a big difference—even if you have a higher genetic risk.
Why does this matter? Right now, around 50 million people worldwide live with dementia. That number could triple by the year 2050. The disease affects not just individuals, but also their families and caregivers. This research offers hope. It tells us that we are not helpless, even if dementia runs in our family.
By choosing to live a healthier life—staying active, eating well, and taking care of your body—you can protect your brain and lower your risk.
So, next time you’re thinking of skipping your walk or grabbing junk food, remember this: the choices you make today could protect your brain in the future. You have the power to change your path, no matter your family history.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about how walking patterns may help identify specific types of dementia, and how some common high blood pressure drugs may also lower your risk.
If you care about dementia, please read studies that eating apples and tea could keep dementia at bay, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health.
For more health information, please see recent studies what you eat together may affect your dementia risk, and time-restricted eating: a simple way to fight aging and cancer.
The study was published in Neurology.
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