A healthy lifestyle reduces your dementia risk

A Study from Finland looks at the linkage between cardiovascular health and dementia

Published by Steve Foreman on Dec 22, 2020

At TheBoldAge we are always keen to promote the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. Now a recent study in Finland has found that those individuals who achieve a ‘good’ score regarding their cardiovascular health metrics have a lower risk of catching dementia in later life. The study focussed on people in their midlife, those aged 45-65 years old, and calculated a score for each individual in regard to their cardiovascular health.

The report concluded that maintaining a good level of cardiovascular health throughout a person’s life can dramatically reduce their risk of contracting dementia in later life. In particular, people should focus on exercising regularly, achieving a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) and quitting smoking.

As we shortly move into 2021 now more than ever is the time to focus on your health and wellbeing. If you are new to exercising you can find some ideas on our BOLDFitness page and also our YouTube page. Achieving and living at a healthy weight is key to reducing your risk of contracting a whole host of illnesses. The NHS has a BMI calculator that is very easy to use and offers straight forward explanations of what your result means and some suggested actions.

Giving up smoking is one of the best things that you can do to improve your overall health. It allows your lungs to repair and therefore you can breathe more easily, it will improve your cholesterol levels, make your food taste better, you will live longer and finally you will save a lot of money! Support to help you quit smoking can be found here.

As we may have mentioned before, as a Boldie community, we are all about encouraging people in their 50’s and beyond to live a longer, healthier, more active and fulfilling life. Let’s be as proactive as possible and take control of our health.