Healthy Behaviors Independently Linked to Lower Dementia Risk The researchers found that 0.6 percent of participants developed dementia during an average follow-up of eight years. HealthDay News â Adopting healthy behaviors is associated with a reduced risk for dementia, even among those with familial dementia (FD), according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2021 Scientific Sessions, held virtually from May 20 to 21. Angelique Brellenthin, Ph.D., from Iowa State University in Ames, and colleagues examined the independent and combined associations of FD and following a healthy lifestyle with the risk for dementia in 302,239 men and women aged 60 ± 5 years from the U.K. Biobank study. Participants were categorized based on how many healthy behaviors they adopted.