Fox News – The onset of dementia can come as a shock, but various signs could predict the condition as long as 20 years before symptoms.
Researchers evaluated 181 potential risk factors, including demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle and health behaviors, health history, psycho-social factors and more.
Below are some of the strongest predictors at age 60 that indicate a higher chance of developing cognitive impairment and dementia, according to the report.
1. Poor physical health
2. History of stroke
3. Genetics
4. Being born in the Southern United States
5. Not having private health insurance at age 60
6. Never working or only working for a few years
7. History of diabetes
8. Having a body mass index of 35 or more
9. Never drinking alcohol or drinking excessively
10. Never exercising
11. Scoring low on physical tests
12. Being less conscientious
13. Low engagement in hobbies
14. Low cognitive function and engagement
Parental health, family size, marital history and demographics were the weakest predictors, according to the research.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, study co-author Peter Hudomiet, a RAND economist in California, shared details of the study, which worked with a large dataset and followed individuals “for decades.”
Parental health, family size, marital history and demographics were the weakest predictors, according to the research. (iStock)
“Overall, we found that risk factors had a similar effect in the short and long term, which reassured us that the findings from prior literature may hold in the long term,” he said.
“Nevertheless, we also had quite a few surprising findings.”
“In other words, the main risk factor for dementia was never exercising.”
The researcher said he was surprised to find that those who never exercised had a “substantially higher chance” of developing dementia than those who lightly exercised at least a few times per month.
“Exercising even more often (weekly or daily) had some additional benefits, but not that much,” he noted.
