A new long-term study suggests that it may be possible to delay dementia by addressing certain health factors. Researchers found that avoiding high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking in middle age can lead to more years without dementia. The study, which tracked around 12,400 participants in the US for about 26 years, found that those who avoided these vascular risk factors had around 13 more dementia-free years.

The participants' average age at the start of the study was 56, with just over half being women and about 25% being Black. Further details on the study are available from the source, including the full research published in the journal Neurology Open Access.