The middle-aged ones that follow seven wayof healthy life for a long time, they have a lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia later in life, according to a new American scientific study.

These seven factors are: physical activity, healthy diet, normal body weight, no smoking, healthy blood pressure, cholesterol control and low blood sugar. The longer someone maintains these habits, the lower the chance of dementia over time.

Investigatorsled by Dr. Pamela Rist of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, who made the announcement at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, analyzed data on 13,720 women with an average age of 54 who were followed for 20 years, during which 1,771 (13%) developed dementia.

For each of the seven health factors, each woman was given a “score” from zero (poor or average) to one (ideal), with a maximum total score of seven.

The average “score” was 4.3. It found that for every one-point increase in this overall score, the risk of subsequent dementia decreased by 6%.

“Since we now know that dementia can begin in the brain decades before diagnosis, it is important that we learn how habits in middle age can affect the risk of dementia in later life. “The good news is that when someone makes healthy life choices in midlife, it can lead to a reduced risk of dementia later in life,” said Dr. Rist. “It is encouraging for people to know that by taking certain steps, such as exercising for half an hour a day or keeping their blood pressure under control, they can reduce their risk of dementia,” he added.