The Lifestyle for Brain Health Index: Associations with MRI Findings and Cognition

Modifiable risk factors may contribute to dementia. In this study, researchers evaluated whether the Lifestyle for Brain Health (LIBRA) index was associated with brain MRI findings and cognitive impairment in 4164 participants (mean age, 59 years; 49.7% men) from a general adult population aged 40 to 75 years in the Netherlands. The LIBRA index includes modifiable dementia risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking, obesity, depression, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, heart disease, and chronic kidney disease, as well as protective factors such as Mediterranean diet adherence and low to moderate alcohol use. Higher LIBRA scores indicated higher dementia risk. Brain MRI outcomes included gray matter volum…