Teenagers should be considering their dementia risk, academics say, after a new study suggested having an unhealthy childhood could affect the brain in later life.
A child’s body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and physical activity levels have been linked to differences in the brain by the age of 20 – particularly the areas linked to dementia.
While it is known that a person’s health in midlife can be a potential predictor for dementia in their later years, researchers have not previously tracked whether there could be an impact from childhood onwards.
Experts say the new study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, suggests being unhealthy in childhood and adolescence could set the stage for later decline in brain health.
