3 things to avoid in middle age could mean 13 more years without dementia, study finds

Middle-aged adults who manage to avoid high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking can gain nearly 13 additional years of life free from dementia, according to new research led by NYU Langone Health.

The study, published in the journal Neurology Open Access, analyzed long-term health data to determine how midlife cardiovascular wellness shapes brain function decades later.

Minimizing these three common vascular threats between ages 48 and 68 dramatically postpones mental decline, according to the research.