How to Lower Your Risk of Dementia Starting in Middle Age
The new finding is based on a large study involving a team from major U.S. medical centers and other research organizations. It recently appeared in the publication Nature Medicine. The study found that after age 55, people face up to a 42 percent chance of developing dementia, if they live long enough.
The research showed the risk of dementia is highest after age 75. But the good news is that there are steps people can take to reduce the risks. One of them is controlling high blood pressure and other conditions, such as diabetes or being severely overweight, meaning obese. Health experts advise everyone, even those in middle age, to take steps to avoid such problems.
Dr. Josef Coresh of NYU Langone Health was a lead writer of the study. He told The Associated Press, "All of our research suggests what you do in midlife really matters.'
What is Dementia?
It can be quite common for older people to take longer to remember a name or where they placed certain objects. But research on dementia suggests it is not a normal part of aging. Rather, the disease is a progressive loss of memory, language and other cognitive abilities over time. Getting older is currently the biggest risk and the U.S. population is aging at a fast rate.
Dementia has many forms, the most common being Alzheimer's. Because the disease is linked to silent changes in the brain, signs or symptoms of dementia might not start showing until many years later. Other kinds include vascular dementia, when heart disease or small strokes limit blood flow to the brain. Many people also have mixed causes, meaning vascular problems could worsen existing dementia.
Dr. James Galvin is an Alzheimer's specialist at the University of Miami. He noted that aging by itself is "not a guarantee that someone will develop dementia." Galvin was not involved in the new study. But he said the latest findings on that support previous research.
Dementia risk by age
Earlier studies estimated about 14 percent of men and 23 percent of women would develop some form of dementia during their lifetime. Since women live longer than men, they are more likely to get it.
But the latest research examined more recent data from a U.S. study that followed the heart health and cognitive abilities of about 15,000 older adults from 1987 until 2020. In that group, the risk for dementia averaged 35 percent for men and 48 percent for women.
One reason for the different rates is that the group of people studied lived longer. The study shows how the risk changes with additional years of life. Only 4 percent of people developed dementia between the ages of 55 and 75. Coresh describes this difference as an important 20-year window for protecting brain health. For people surviving common health threats until 75, the dementia risk then jumped — to 20 percent by age 85 and 42 percent between the ages of 85 and 95.
Black Americans had a slightly higher risk, 44 percent, than white individuals at 41 percent.
Ways to help lower dementia risk
There are some health risks people cannot control. Besides age, people can inherit a gene version, or variant, called APOE4. This can raise the risk of getting Alzheimer's later in life.
But medical researchers have identified some things people can do to delay, or possibly even prevent developing dementia. The University of Miami's Galvin advises people to exercise, avoid obesity and control blood pressure. He noted that, "What's good for your heart is good for your brain.'
Stay socially and cognitively active, too, Galvin said. He urges people to try hearing aids if age brings hearing loss, which can create social isolation. He added, "There are things that we have control over, and those things I think would be really, really important to build a better brain as we age."
I'm Jill Robbins.
Lauran Neergaard reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.
Quiz - How to Lower Your Risk of Dementia Starting in Middle Age
Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz
______________________________________________
Words in This Story
dementia – n. a mental illness that causes someone to be unable to think clearly or to understand what is real and what is not real
cognitive – adj. of, relating to, or involving conscious mental activities (such as thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering)
vascular – adj. of or relating to the veins, arteries, etc., that carry fluids (such as blood) through the body
stroke – n. medical. a serious illness caused when a blood vessel in your brain suddenly breaks or is blocked
inherit – v. biology. to have (a characteristic, disease, etc.) because of the genes that you get from your parents when you are born
isolation – n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others
What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Voice of America
Discovery Provides New Details on Early Use of Bone Tools
A recent discovery of bones in Tanzania suggests early humans commonly used animal bones to make cutting tools 1.5 million years ago. Past research has shown our early ancestors made simple tools from stones as early as 3.3 million years ago. But bone tools appear to have been developed much later. The discovery in Tanzania included a collection of 27 formed and sharpened bones. It pushes back the date for ancient bone tool use by around 1 million years. Researchers recently described their discovery in a study in the scientific publication Nature. William Harcourt-Smith is a scientist with the American Museum of Natural History. He did not take part in the latest research. Harcourt-Smith told The Associated Press the findings show that ancient humans used a number of materials and 'had rather more complex tool kits than previously we thought." The bone tools measured up to around 40 centimeters. Most of them came from the leg bones of large animals such as elephants and hippos. Early humans likely made the tools by breaking off the thick ends of leg bones and using a stone to remove smaller pieces. Ignacio de la Torre is with the Spanish National Research Council. He helped lead the research. De la Torre said this method was likely used to create one sharpened edge and one pointed tip. The bone tools were 'probably used as a hand axe,' he added. The 'hand axe' was likely used for cutting up dead animals, de la Torre said. This kind of blade would be helpful for removing meat from dead elephant and hippo bodies. He explained, 'We don't believe they were hunting these animals. They were probably scavenging.' Scavenging means to search for food from waste or dead animals. Some of the bone tools showed signs of having been hit more than ten times, suggesting careful work. Mírian Pacheco is a researcher with the Federal University of Sao Carlos in Brazil. She was not involved in the study. Pacheco said the newly uncovered evidence suggests early humans were thoughtful when choosing and making the bone tools. Researchers believe this because certain kinds of large and heavy leg bones were taken from specific animals. Also, the methods used to make the tools appeared to be regular, or consistent. The researchers noted the bones showed only small signs of damage. Pacheco said she thinks this rules out the possibility that natural causes shaped the tools. The bone tools date from more than a million years before our species, Homo sapiens, arose around 300,000 years ago. At the time the tools were made, three different species of human ancestors lived in the same area of East Africa. That information comes from Briana Pobiner of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program. Pobiner was not involved in the study. The tools may have been made and used by Homo erectus, Homo habilis or Paranthropus boisei, she said. 'It could have been any of these three, but it's almost impossible to know which one.' I'm John Russell. Christina Larson reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________ Words in This Story kit – n. a set of tools axe – n. a tool that usually has a wooden handle with a sharp piece of metal at one end, used mostly for cutting trees or wood species – n. a class of individuals having common attributes and designated by a common name
Voice of America
13-03-2025
- Voice of America
Total lunar eclipse to be visible from Western Hemisphere on Thursday
A total lunar eclipse will be visible in the Western Hemisphere overnight Thursday, with the best views in North America and South America. Skywatchers in Africa and parts of Europe may also be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the celestial spectacle. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth, the moon and the sun line up and the Earth's shadow blocks, or eclipses, the moon. The moon will look like a coppery red ball in the sky, a phenomenon known as the blood moon. The moon's color is the result of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere. Skywatchers won't need any special equipment, glasses or gadgets to see the eclipse, although binoculars or a telescope could provide a better view. "As long as the sky is clear, you should be able to see it," Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, told The Associated Press. In North America, peak viewing time will be at 2:59 a.m. EDT (6:59 GMT) March 14. That's when the Earth's deepest, darkest shadow – the umbra – will cover the moon. The moon is expected to be totally obscured for 65 minutes, although the eclipse will last for about six hours in its entirety. Check here for where and when the blood moon will be visible in different parts of the hemisphere. The last total lunar eclipse occurred in 2022, but the world won't have to wait long for the next one. A total lunar eclipse will happen overnight this September 7 and 8 and will be visible across Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. A partial eclipse will occur later this month, on March 29. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
Voice of America
08-03-2025
- Voice of America
US researchers and doctors rally for science against Trump cuts
Giving a new meaning to the phrase mad scientists, angry researchers, doctors, their patients and supporters ventured out of labs, hospitals and offices Friday to fight against what they call a blitz on life-saving science by the Trump administration. In the nation's capital, a couple thousand gathered at the Stand Up for Science rally. Organizers said similar rallies were planned in more than 30 U.S. cities. Politicians, scientists, musicians, doctors and their patients made the case that firings, budget and grant cuts in health, climate, science and other research government agencies in the Trump administration's first 47 days in office are endangering not just the future but the present. "This is the most challenging moment I can recall," University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann told the crowd full of signs belittling the intelligence of President Donald Trump, his cost-cutting aide Elon Musk and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "Science is under siege." Astronomer Phil Plait told a booing crowd, "We're looking at the most aggressively anti-science government the United States has ever had." Rally co-organizer Colette Delawalla, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, said, "We're not just going to stand here and take it." Science communicator, entertainer and one-time engineer Bill Nye the Science Guy challenged the forces in government that want to cut and censor science. "What are you afraid of?" he said. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen challenged the crowd, some in white lab coats if only for show, to live up to the mad scientist moniker: "Everybody in America should be mad about what we are witnessing." The crowd was. Signs read "Edit Elon out of USA's DNA," "Delete DOGE not data," "the only good evidence against evolution is the existence of Trump" and "ticked off epidemiologist." Health and science advances are happening faster than ever, making this a key moment in making people's lives better, said former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, who helped map the human genome. The funding cuts put at risk progress on Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and cancer, he said. "It's a very bad time with all the promise and momentum," said Collins. "I'm very worried about my country right now," Collins said before breaking out into an original song on his guitar. Emily Whitehead, the first patient to get a certain new type of treatment for a rare cancer, told the crowd that at age 5 she was sent hospice to die, but CAR T-cell therapy "taught my immune system to beat cancer" and she's been disease free for nearly 13 years. "I stand up for science because science saved my life," Whitehead said. Friday's rally in Washington was at the Lincoln Memorial, in the shadow of a statue of the president who created the nearby National Academy of Sciences in 1863. From 11 million kilometers away from Earth, NASA proved science could divert potentially planet-killing asteroids, former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. On his space shuttle flight nearly 40 years ago, he looked down to Earth and had a "sense of awe that you want to be a better steward of what we've been given," he said. The rallies were organized mostly by graduate students and early career scientists. Dozens of other protests were also planned around the world, including more than 30 in France, Delawalla said. Protesters gathered around City Hall in Philadelphia, home to prestigious, internationally recognized health care institutions and where 1 in 6 doctors in the U.S. has received medical training. "As a doctor, I'm standing up for all of my transgender, nonbinary patients who are also being targeted," said Cedric Bien-Gund, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Pennsylvania. "There's been a lot of fear and silencing, both among our patients and among all our staff. And it's really disheartening to see."
