But some evidence suggests that modifiable risk factors can increase our odds pretty considerably. AdvertisementAnd a new paper published in Neurology Open Access has linked avoiding three habits in middle age to up to 13 years more dementia-free life. People with none of the three risk factors researchers looked for at the start of the study enjoyed 13 more dementia-free years compared to those who had them, the study found. AdvertisementThat meant those with no risk factors lived 30 years without dementia after the study’s start, compared to 17 years for those with them. Women with all three risk factors tended to go 18.1 years after the start point without dementia, whereas for men with all three risk factors, that shrank to 16.6 years.