Key result
High midlife CV health linked to ~40% lower incident dementia risk.
Why the study?
It was unknown whether better cardiovascular health at midlife and improvement of cardiovascular health within midlife are associated with dementia risk.
Does high cardiovascular health at midlife and its improvement reduce the risk of incident dementia in the general population?
Cohort (n=15,367)
Yes
Does high cardiovascular health at midlife and its improvement reduce the risk of incident dementia in the general population?
Effect estimate: HR 0.60 (95% CI 0.52-0.69)
Better cardiovascular health at midlife and its improvement over time are associated with a significantly lower risk of incident dementia.
High midlife CV health was associated with lower dementia risk; extends observational data but leaves causal effects and practice change open.
INTRODUCTION: We evaluated whether better cardiovascular health at midlife and improvement of cardiovascular health within midlife were associated with dementia risk. METHODS: Two longitudinal population-based studies were used: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) (n = 11,460/visits at ages 54 and 60), and Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)-Reykjavik (n = 3907/visit at age 51). A cardiovascular health score (range 0-12/0-14, depending on diet availability) including six/seven items was calculated at each visit, with weight assigned to each item as poor (0), intermediate (1), or ideal (2). Cardiovascular health was defined as low (score 0-4/0-5), intermediate (5-7/6-9), or high (8-12/10-14). Incident dementia was ascertained through linkage to health records and with neuropsychological examinations. RESULTS: Midlife high compared to low cardiovascular health (hazard ratios [HRs]: for ARIC: 0.60 [95% confidence interval: 0.52, 0.69]); for AGES-Reykjavik: 0.83 [0.66, 0.99] and improvement of cardiovascular health score within midlife (HR per one-point increase: ARIC: 0.94 [0.92, 0.96]) were associated with lower dementia risk. DISCUSSION: Better cardiovascular health at midlife and improvement of cardiovascular health within midlife are associated with lower dementia risk. HIGHLIGHTS: Cardiovascular health and dementia were studied in two large cohort studies. Better cardiovascular health at midlife relates to lower dementia risk. Improvement of cardiovascular health within midlife relates to lower dementia risk. Promotion of cardiovascular health at midlife can help to reduce dementia risk.
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Sedaghat et al. (2022) conducted a cohort in Incident dementia (n=15,367). High cardiovascular health at midlife vs. Low cardiovascular health at midlife was evaluated on Incident dementia (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.52-0.69). High cardiovascular health at midlife compared to low was associated with lower incident dementia risk in the ARIC (HR 0.60; 95% CI 0.52-0.69) and AGES-Reykjavik (HR 0.83; 95% CI 0.66-0.99) cohorts.
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