changing your future: new research identifies 17 modifiable risk factors associated with stroke, dementia and depression

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making positive changes to your modifiable risk factors now can reduce the risk of many age-related diseases that develop as you head into your golden years.

by angelica bottaro

published apr 10, 2025

3 minute read

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3 minute read

join the conversation

getting more exercise earlier in life is just one of many modifiable risk factors you can use to reduce your risk of stroke, dementia and late-life depression. getty images

getting older can be challenging for many simply because the risk and prevalence of age-related diseases are much higher. conditions such as stroke and dementia are on the rise in canada, and the rates of late-life mental health disorders, including depression, are also increasing in older canadians.

new research out of mass general brigham has now identified 17 modifiable risk factors related to stroke, dementia and late-life depression, all of which can be tweaked earlier in life to reduce the chances of developing these diseases so that older adults have a better chance at living healthier for longer.

the research

to identify the high number of modifiable risk factors, researchers scoured various data focused on stroke, dementia and late-life depression, and the lifestyle and behavioural habits that play into their development. in an effort to bring it all together, they combined all the data in one big set to see which risk factors were found across the board.

those they considered significant were found to have a negative correlation with the development of two of the three age-related diseases they were focused on. they also examined each risk factor individually to determine how big of an impact it had on quality of life and early death.

modifiable risk factors and aging

certain risk factors cannot be changed, such as genetic predisposition, family history, and sex. however, many others are within your control. the new research found that if you could identify these risk factors in your own life, you could reduce your risk of all three age-related diseases by making changes in one or a few of these areas.

the risk factors include:

blood pressure
kidney health
fasting plasma glucose
total cholesterol
alcohol use
diet
hearing loss
pain
physical activity
purpose in life
sleep
smoking
social engagement
stress
body mass index
leisure time and cognitive activity
depressive symptoms

high blood pressure and severe kidney disease were found to have the most significant impact regarding the development of age-related diseases, but the others all play important roles.

for example, people who engage in regular physical activity and spend time doing leisurely activities that revolve around cognition, such as playing puzzle games, can reduce their risk of developing stroke, dementia and late-life depression, but with a lower impact than managing or preventing high blood pressure or severe kidney disease.

these three age-related diseases are also connected in the sense that developing one increases the chances that you’ll develop another later on in life, so reducing your risk of one can effectively kill three birds with one stone, so to speak.

“because they share these overlapping risk factors, preventive efforts could lead to a reduction in the incidence of more than one of these diseases, which provides an opportunity to simultaneously reduce the burden of age-related brain diseases,” said jasper senff, md, author of the study and post-doctoral fellow at the singh lab at the brain care labs at massachusetts general hospital, in a press release.

using this information to reduce your risk

since these risk factors can be reduced through behavioural change, it’s essential to look at each one and its role in your life. for example, if you drink alcohol in excess, reducing your consumption can also decrease your chances of developing age-related diseases, stroke, dementia and late-life depression. the same can be said for smoking.

lifestyle habits, such as physical activity, sleep, stress, and diet, are also essential in the reduction of chronic disease and can be tweaked to ensure that you do everything in your power to avoid dementia, stroke, or late-life depression as you age.

for example, ensuring that you eat healthily, move around enough, manage stress levels and get adequate quality sleep are all ways to improve your outcomes later in life.

simply put, every positive change you make to those areas that encourage disease development will reduce your risk and the more effort you put into it now, the better off you’ll be as you age into your golden years.

“healthcare is increasingly complex, “ said jonathan rosand, md msc, the global brain care coalition founder, and the jp kistler, the endowed chair in neurology at mgh, in a press release. “but these findings remind us that preventing disease can be very simple. why? because many of the most common diseases share the same risk factors.”

angelica bottaro

angelica bottaro is the lead editor at healthing.ca, and has been content writing for over a decade, specializing in all things health. her goal as a health journalist is to bring awareness and information to people that they can use as an additional tool toward their own optimal health.