Researchers examined 12,409 people with an average age of 56 who were free of dementia at the study's outset, assessing them for three midlife vascular risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking. Coresh added that he hopes the results "will encourage people to stop smoking and watch their vascular health closely from age 48 on." Dr. Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at Alzheimer's Research UK, who was not involved in the research, said the study's framing offers a distinct lens compared with typical dementia risk research. "Rather than focusing only on the chances of developing dementia, this study asks a question that matters to people: how long can we expect to live free from dementia?" Attention going forward is likely to center on whether the findings prompt updated clinical guidance emphasizing vascular risk screening beginning around age 48, as Coresh suggested.