High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity all increase the risk of dementia.  People who have these problems during midlife have a higher risk of developing dementia later in life.  If you have more than one of these problems, your risk is increased even more.

The good news is that treating these problems and keeping your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight at healthy levels is likely to reduce your risk of dementia.

Have regular health checks with your doctor and treat any problems that arise.  This will help keep your heart and your brain healthy.

Mind your Health Checks is one of the seven Mind your Mind signposts pointing you toward reducing your dementia risk.  The following pages explain why we believe controlling vascular risk factors is so important and provide advice on working out a regular routine of health checks with your doctor.

Blood pressure – how blood pressure affects dementia risk and what you need to do about it

Cholesterol – how cholesterol affects dementia risk and what you need to do about it

Diabetes – the link between diabetes and increased dementia risk and what you need to do about it

Body weight – how your weight affects dementia risk and what you need to do about it