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- Posted November 5, 2025
Healthy Habits Slash Genetic Dementia Risk in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — New research suggests that those with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and a genetic risk for dementia can significantly lower their odds for cognitive problems by adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle.
The preliminary findings — to be presented Saturday at an American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in New Orleans — show that a strong commitment to the AHA’s "Life’s Essential 8" health metrics may be protective.
For millions of adults living with type 2 diabetes, the risk of cognitive decline and dementia is a concern.
Study author Yilin Yoshida of Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans highlighted the overlap between diabetes and heart health.
“There are multiple factors associated with type 2 diabetes that contribute to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. People with type 2 diabetes tend to have more obesity, higher blood pressure and insulin resistance," she said.
"Controlling all those factors is also good for improving cardiovascular health,” Yoshida said in a news release.
The study focused on more than 40,000 adults with T2D.
Researchers analyzed participants in the UK Biobank based on two scales: one measuring their inherited risk for dementia and another based on their cardiovascular health status (CVH).
Their heart health was classified as low, moderate or high based on factors included in "Life’s Essential 8."
The eight factors include four health behaviors and four health factors essential for ideal heart function:
Eat better.
Be more active.
Quit tobacco.
Get healthy sleep.
Manage weight.
Control cholesterol.
Manage blood sugar.
Manage blood pressure.
For the study, health outcomes were tracked over 13 years, during which 840 participants developed mild cognitive impairment and 1,013 developed dementia.
Overall, individuals with moderate or high cardiovascular health had a 15% lower risk of developing both mild cognitive impairment and dementia compared to those with low CVH.
Better CVH scores were also strongly linked to better preserved brain volume — in other words, more healthy gray matter.
The most powerful finding emerged when looking at genetic risk.
In the high-risk group — those genetically most susceptible to dementia — having moderate or high heart health scores delivered a significant protective effect.
Those participants were 27% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment and 23% less likely to develop dementia compared to their peers with poor heart health.
“Genes are not destiny. Maintaining optimal cardiovascular health can protect brain health even for people with type 2 diabetes who carry the highest genetic risk for dementia,” Xiu Wu, a postdoctoral fellow in the Yoshida Lab at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, said in the news release.
The findings underscore the interconnectedness of heart and brain health.
“It’s another great example of what’s good for the heart is good for the brain, even when your genes may be stacked against you,” said Dr. Hugo Aparicio, a neurologist at Boston University and volunteer chair for the AHA’s Stroke Council Brain Health Committee.
Researchers concluded that for anyone with type 2 diabetes, dedicating effort to the "Life’s Essential 8" metrics offers a powerful way to pursue a longer life while "maintaining our cognitive function and capacity for longer independence and better quality of life,” Yoshida said.
Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
Visit the National Institute on Aging for resources on creating lifestyle habits for a healthy brain.
SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Nov. 3, 2025
