--- description: Obesity, carotid artery narrowing, low educational attainment, depression, high blood pressure are among the risk factors, study says title: Study Finds 9 Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85211d3afc0ada6e/698860540b72e390216e57aa/gettyimages-160330106.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Disease](/tag/disease/) ## Disease Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # New Study Identifies 9 Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2015 10:37 PM CUT  CT scan of a human Brain. CT scan of a human Brain.Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2015 10:37 PM CUT Two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases could be attributed to nine risk factors that are potentially fixable, according to a new study released Thursday. Researchers linked obesity, carotid artery narrowing, low educational attainment, depression, high blood pressure, frailty, smoking habits, high levels of homocysteine (an amino acid), and type 2 diabetes in the Asian population to about two-thirds of global Alzheimer’s cases in a recent analysis of existing data. The study, published online in the [_Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry_](http://jnnp.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/jnnp-2015-310548 "undefined")_,_ is purely observational but the researchers think its findings could help medical professionals prescribe specific lifestyle changes that could have a targeted effect at reducing the number of Alzheimer’s cases around the world. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, the broad term for the deterioration of memory and mental abilities. There is currently no cure for dementia, which impacts 1 in 14 people over age 65, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. For the study, researchers pooled and analyzed data from over 300 studies to identify the most common risk factors for the disease. Researchers also found evidence that some hormones, vitamins and drugs to reduce high blood pressure can help lower the risk of developing the disease while homocysteine and depression were associated with heightened risk. ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. 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Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME _Read next:_ [_How Exercise Helps Curb Alzheimer’s Symptoms_](http://time.com/3968683/exercise-treatment-for-alzheimers/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4005635/alzheimers-disease-risk-factors/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4005635/alzheimers-disease-risk-factors/"},"headline":"New Study Identifies 9 Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease","datePublished":"2015-08-20T22:37:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:58.815Z","description":"The risk factors, which include obesity, low educational attainment and depression, might be preventable","url":"https://time.com/4005635/alzheimers-disease-risk-factors/","keywords":["Disease","Alzheimer's"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85211d3afc0ada6e/698860540b72e390216e57aa/gettyimages-160330106.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85211d3afc0ada6e/698860540b72e390216e57aa/gettyimages-160330106.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"160330106","caption":"160330106","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/disease/","name":"Disease"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4005635/alzheimers-disease-risk-factors/","name":"New Study Identifies 9 Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Science Cop: How Anti-Vaxxers Put Everyone at Risk","description":"TIME's Science Cop Jeffrey Kulger takes on the misinformation coming from opponents of childhood vaccinations","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ai82XWJ8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-24T20:18:23.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ai82XWJ8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4005635/alzheimers-disease-risk-factors/","duration":"PT2M6S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4005635/alzheimers-disease-risk-factors/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```