17 Ways to Cut Your Risk of Stroke, Dementia and Depression All at Once (NY Times)

#1

A new study identified overlapping factors that affect your odds of developing these brain diseases late in life.

New research has identified 17 overlapping factors that affect your risk of stroke, dementia and late-life depression, suggesting that a number of lifestyle changes could simultaneously lower the risk of all three.

Though they may appear unrelated, people who have dementia or depression or who experience a stroke also often end up having one or both of the other conditions, said Dr. Sanjula Singh, a principal investigator at the Brain Care Labs at Massachusetts General Hospital and the lead author of the study. That’s because they may share underlying damage to small blood vessels in the brain, experts said.

Some of the risk factors common to the three brain diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes, appear to cause this kind of damage. Research suggests that at least 60 percent of strokes, 40 percent of dementia cases and 35 percent of late-life depression cases could be prevented or slowed by controlling risk factors.

The factors that increase your risk

The study also identified 13 health characteristics and habits that make you more likely to develop dementia, a stroke or late-life depression. (Altogether, the protective and harmful factors add up to 19 factors because two of them, diet and social connections, can increase or decrease risk, depending on their type and quality.)

  • High blood pressure
  • High body mass index
  • High blood sugar
  • High total cholesterol
  • Depressive symptoms
  • A diet high in red meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets and sodium
  • Hearing loss
  • Kidney disease
  • Pain, particularly forms that interfere with activity
  • Sleep disturbances (for example, insomnia or poor sleep quality) or sleep periods longer than eight hours
  • Smoking history
  • Loneliness or isolation
  • General stress or stressful life events (as reported by study subjects)

The study only looked at risk factors linked to two or more of the three conditions. It did not prove that these risk factors directly cause the diseases; it only showed an association.

Trying to tackle all of these behaviors for brain health might feel overwhelming. But Dr. Singh suggested treating the list like a menu of options: “Choose just a first risk factor and then take it step by step,” she said.

Read the full article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/well/dementia-stroke-depression-prevention.html?unlocked_article_code=1.B08.HdYt.Xhb8Ki947k8-&smid=url-share

Paywalled article:

Modifiable risk factors for stroke, dementia and late-life depression: a systematic review and DALY-weighted risk factors for a composite outcome

https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2025/03/21/jnnp-2024-334925.long

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#2

Identified risk factors included alcohol (normalised β-coefficient highest category: −34), blood pressure (130), body mass index (70), fasting plasma glucose (94), total cholesterol (22), leisure time cognitive activity (−91), depressive symptoms (57), diet (51), hearing loss (60), kidney function (101), pain (42), physical activity (−56), purpose in life (−50), sleep (76), smoking (91), social engagement (53) and stress (55).

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So based on the above, the “best” is (assuming this is causal and not just an association):

  • <1 glass of alcohol per day
  • < 120/80 mmHg BP
  • Normal BMI
  • < 100 mg/dL fasting glucose
  • Not high total cholesterol (how is it defined?)
  • Cognitive activity
  • No depression
  • Avoid sweets, salt and red meat while eating fruits and vegetables
  • No hearing loss
  • eGFR > 90
  • No pain
  • High physical activity
  • Purpose in life
  • Good sleep of 8h max
  • Never smoke
  • Large social network
  • No stress

Really rocket science!

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#3

LOL! Well, there are studies showing that higher socioeconomic status is good for health.

The conclusion is, that for health, it’s better to be rich than poor. Therefore, the same way people put effort in the gym, because more exercise is better for health, people should put more effort into getting rich, to prolong life.

1)Become fit, get more muscle

2)Become rich, get more money

All for the sake of health.

I don’t enjoy the process of exercising, but do it for health. I don’t enjoy the process of extracting more money, but do it for health. Gotta sacrifice some. No pain, no gain.

You might be the reluctant exerciser, the reluctantly rich, but you make that sacrifice :man_shrugging:.

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#4

The good news is, a lot of these are essentially freebies: don’t smoke (saves money and time), don’t drink (also saves money and time), and the blood pressure, glucose and lipids are addressable by popping 3-4 pills per day which cost almost nothing.

That takes the major things off the table, leaving you more time to pursue other things, including making $$

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#5

I think one reason that affluence affects longevity is that the cost of healthy interventions becomes trivial the more money you have.

For instance organic food vs ultra processed. If you are strapped for cash, you’ll opt for fast cheap ultra processed food over organic vegetables.

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#6

Financial stress (or relative lack thereof) is another big one I’d imagine.

@CronosTempi I would’ve lived like Mother Teresa, had the temptations of longevity not been so great.

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