India, Aug. 10 -- Having normal blood pressure, no diabetes and not smoking was associated with living nearly 13 years longer without dementia, according to a study published August 5, 2026, in Neurology Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study does not prove that avoiding these vascular risk factors causes the delay in dementia; it only shows an association.

The study involved 12,409 people with an average age of 56 who were free of dementia. People were assessed for three risk factors for dementia: high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking. High blood pressure was defined as blood pressure higher than 140/90 mmHg or the use of medication to lower blood pressure, read the American Academy of Neur...