Dementia Risk Reduced By Being More Educated And Having A Healthy Heart, A Study Finds

Dementia -- a brain disease that causes memory and reasoning impairments -- is one of the most heart-breaking health conditions that a person could acquire. But according to a new study, there might be some surprising ways to reduce dementia risk.

According to NPR via GPB News, a new study finds that the risk of getting dementia and its different forms such as Alzheimer's disease is reduced for people with at least a high school education and for those who have a healthy heart condition. The study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine -- involving the participation of 5,205 people who are 60-years-old and above from the Framingham Heart Study.

"They found that the incidence of dementia declined about 20 percent per decade starting in the 1970s but only in people who had at least a high school education," NPR reports. University of Michigan professor Dr. Kenneth Langa commented on the findings of the study. "You also are finding that a person's level of education is a key driver in dementia risk. Is that because education makes your brain stronger, or that educated people are healthier overall?"

Participants, who have a healthy heart condition and normal blood pressure, are also less likely to develop dementia, according to the study. "That's telling us that perhaps better management of cardiovascular disease could potentially help in the reduction of dementia," Claudia Satizabal, a researcher and a neurology instructor at the Boston University School of Medicine, told NPR.

NHS also shared some tips that can help reduce dementia risk. Eating a healthy and balanced diet, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, mental stimulation, keeping a normal blood pressure level, and avoiding too much alcohol and smoking are some of the most effective ways to decrease the risk of acquiring different forms of dementia.