Erica SloanAug 15, 2026 – 9.00amThe link between cardiovascular health and dementia is well established; research shows that what’s good for your heart generally is also good for your brain. Now, a new study suggests that avoiding a few specific risk factors in adulthood could allow you to live a greater portion of your life without dementia – roughly 13 more years.The study, published in Neurology Open Access, explores how vascular risk factors at midlife may affect the age at which people develop dementia and when they die of other causes. The finding underscores the importance of good cardiovascular health in middle age: it seems to give you more years free of dementia compared with your peers, said Josef Coresh, the study’s senior investigator and founding director of the Optimal Ageing Institute at NYU Langone Health.Washington PostSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles