As if there weren’t already enough good reasons to avoid smoking and keep your weight, blood sugar levels and blood pressure all under control, a new study suggests these risk factors in middle age may cause your brain to shrink, leading to mental declines up to a decade later. Evaluating data from 1,352 participants whose average age was 54 in the Framingham Offspring Study -- which began in 1971 -- researchers from the University of California, Davis found that smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and being overweight were each linked to potentially dangerous vascular changes in the brain. “We can’t cure disease or cure aging, but the idea of a healthy body, healthy mind is very real,” said study author Dr. Charles DeCarli, director of UC Davis’ Alzheimer’s Disease Center. “People should stop smoking, control their blood pressure, avoid diabetes and lose weight. It seems like a no-brainer.”
