Lower thinking scores in your 60s linked to higher future stroke risk

Adults in their 60s who scored lower on tests of overall thinking ability, memory and information-processing speed were more likely to suffer a first stroke years later, according to Swedish research published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers followed nearly 5,000 adults aged 60 and older enrolled in the Good Aging in Skåne project who had no prior dementia, stroke or transient ischemic attack. Participants completed standardized cognitive tests; over an average 12.3 years of follow-up, more than 10 per cent — 572 people — had a first stroke recorded in national patient registers.

Among adults aged 60 to 69, lower overall thinking ability was linked to an 86 per cent higher stroke risk, lower memory scores to a 68 per cent higher risk, and slower processing speed to a 66 per cent higher risk, compared with peers with the highest scores. The same pattern did not hold for people in their 70s or 80s after researchers adjusted for other health and lifestyle factors. Lead author Alice Askemyr of Lund University said silent brain injuries and fewer competing illnesses in the 60s may make cognitive signals easier to detect in that decade.

The study is observational and cannot prove that poorer cognition causes stroke; findings may not generalize beyond Sweden’s health system and lifestyle mix. Independent commentator Elisabeth Breese Marsh of Johns Hopkins urged aggressive midlife control of vascular risk factors, noting the work also hints that cognitive screening could help flag elevated stroke risk. This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice; consult a clinician about personal stroke risk and brain health.

Sources: American Heart Association newsroom, “Lower cognitive test scores among adults in their 60s may signal higher future stroke risk” (https://newsroom.heart.org/news/lower-cognitive-test-scores-among-adults-in-their-60s-may-signal-higher-future-stroke-risk).