Medium -age people who smoke or have arterial hypertension or diabetes have a much higher risk of being suffering from dementia in more advanced stages of life
People who, in the middle age, have risk factors for cardiovascular disease - among others, diabetes, arterial hypertension or smoking - have a much greater probability to end up developing dementia in the future.This is shown by a study carried out by researchers from John Hopkins University in Baltimore (USA), which concludes, among other results, that medium -sized people with diabetes have a future risk up to 77%superior to suffer from dementia than their homonyms without this metabolic disease.
As Rebecca F. Gottesman, director of this research presented in the framework of the International Conference on ICTUS 2017 of the American ICTUS Association (ASA) that is being held in Houston (USA), «The health of its systemVascular in the middle age is really important for the health of your brain when you are greater ».
cardiovascular risk factors
The study, initiated in 1987 and carried out with the participation of 15,744 middle -aged people, shows that, as expected, the risk of dementia rises according to people adding years.A risk that, however, was remarkably superior in the case of people who have cardiovascular risk factors between 45 and 64 years of age.
Cardiovascular health in median age is really important for brain health in more advanced stages of Vidarebecca Gottesman.
Specifically, and after the development of a total of 1,516 cases with dementia, the study shows that the risk of subsequent appearance of the disease was 41% higher in smoking participants or were former smokers who had never smoked;a 31% higher in those who had prehippertension - blood pressure between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg– and a 39% higher in those who suffered hypertension - blood pressure levels equal to or greater than 140/90 mmhgto participants with normal blood pressure;and 77% higher in people with diabetes - in comparison with non -diabetics.
As Rebecca Gottesman refers, "diabetes increases the risk almost as much as the most important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease."
In addition, the risk of dementia was 11% lower in women and, together with smoking, hypertension and diabetes, significantly higher in the participants with a formation lower than secondary, older education or carriers of the gene known for increasingAlzheimer's risk.
beyond the genes
In short, and beyond genes, the risk of Alzheimer's disease in the advanced phases of life is conditioned by the state of cardiovascular health already in the middle age.
As Rebecca Gottesman concludes, «if a person knows that we carry the gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer's, then he knows that he is predisposed to develop dementia.However, the population does not necessarily think about the risk factors of cardiovascular disease in the same way.If you want to protect your brain as you get old, stop smoking, take care of your weight and go to the doctor so you can detect if you have high diabetes or blood pressure and receive treatment.
