Taking the pressure off dementia risk

Today, almost 6 million people in the U.S. have dementia and 200,000 of them are younger than 65. By 2060, the total number could hit 14 million.

It’s hard to know what accounts for this health crisis, but one element is certainly the number of folks who are sedentary — getting virtually no physical activity day in and day out. One study in JAMA Network Open found that sitting around for 10 to 15 hours a day can double or triple the risk for dementia — and almost 70% of older folks are sedentary for more than eight-and-a-half hours daily.

One possible correlation to being sedentary and dementia may be related to high blood pressure — which can easily develop when you are not physically active. It may explain the finding of a new meta-study in JAMA Network Open that reveals that taking antihypertensive medicine to control high blood pressure reduces the risk for dementia significantly, compared to folks with untreated high blood pressure. In fact, folks with untreated high blood pressure were 26% more likely to develop dementia than folks controlling their high blood pressure with medication and fully 42% more likely to develop dementia than people without high blood pressure. That means that the 20 million folks with self-reported high blood pressure who do not take medication for the condition are at increased risk.

You know what’s coming: Have your blood pressure checked regularly, get 300 minutes of physical activity a week, eat a plant-based diet, and if you have high blood pressure, please take the medication as prescribed.