Men with cardiovascular disease risk factors, including obesity, may face earlier brain health decline compared to women up to a decade sooner, a new study suggests.

Men with cardiovascular disease risk factors, including obesity, face brain health decline a decade earlier—from their mid 50s to mid 70s—than similarly affected women who are most susceptible from their mid 60s to mid 70s,

Men at high risk of cardiovascular disease had brain volume changes a decade earlier than women, U.K. Biobank data showed. Cardiovascular risk and obesity had the strongest relationship with lower gray matter volume in men between the ages of 55 and 64, according to Paul Edison, MD, PhD, of Imperial College London, and co-authors.

"Modify your diet and lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing heart problems and obesity; this will reduce the likelihood of developing dementia."