Doctors have explained how you can halve the risk of dementia

Decrease in the efficiency of the brain in old age can develop into a serious disease – dementia. It is believed that the possibility of its occurrence is largely influenced by heredity.

A new study by American scientists has shown that this is not entirely true. Genetic susceptibility to the disease may play a role, but a healthy cardiovascular system can overcome even bad heredity.

Medics analyzed data from the Framingham Heart Study-monitoring of cardiovascular disease, which is conducted on four generations of residents of the city of Framingham in USA since 1948. The researchers compared genetic data, information on cardiovascular health collected between 1991 and 1995, and dementia screening results since 1998.

The study authors found that a healthy cardiovascular system reduced the risk of the disease is 55% for all categories of patients, regardless of genetic predisposition. “We've long argued that genetics is not destiny, that the influence of your family history and genetic risk can be reduced…it's never too early or too late to start leading a heart-healthy lifestyle,” concluded the founder of the Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases Institute of Texas Dr. Sudha Seshadri of the University.