Nearly 40% of people over 55 may face dementia. Here’s how to reduce your risk

AP NEWS

About a million Americans a year are expected to develop dementia by 2060, roughly double today’s toll, researchers reported Monday.

That estimate is based on a new study that found a higher lifetime risk than previously thought: After age 55, people have up to a 4 in 10 chance of eventually developing dementia — if they live long enough.

It’s a sobering number but there are steps people can take to reduce that risk, such as controlling high blood pressure and other bad-for-the-brain health problems. And it’s not too late to try even in middle age.

“All of our research suggests what you do in midlife really matters,” said Dr. Josef Coresh of NYU Langone Health, who coauthored the study in the journal Nature Medicine…