LINKING DEMENTIA TO YOUR BIRTHPLACE

A new study suggests that where you were born may be associated with your risk for developing dementia. This is true even if you later move far away. The nine states that JAMA Neurology found higher rates in also high rates of stroke deaths. The study was adjusted for age, sex and race. Those born in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina and West Virginia risk of dementia was 28% higher. "Although you can't change where you were born," lead author of the study, Paola Gilsanz says "you can work toward maximizing overall brain health by following the recommendations of the Alzeimer's Association and the American Heart Association".