Roundup: Women May Be More Susceptible to Dementia Risk Factors; and More News

Women May Face Greater Cognitive Effects From Certain Dementia Risk Factors

A new study suggests that women may be more affected than men by several common risk factors linked to dementia. The findings highlight the potential value of tailoring dementia prevention strategies based on sex, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

Dementia is a broad term for conditions that affect memory, thinking and daily functioning. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. In the United States, nearly two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s are women, a difference that cannot be explained by longer life expectancy alone. Researchers are increasingly examining how biological, social and lifestyle factors may contribute to this gap.

The study analyzed health information from more than 17,000 middle-aged and older adults who participated in the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative research project.

Women and Men Show Different Risk Profiles

Investigators evaluated 13 known dementia risk factors that can potentially be modified through lifestyle changes, medical treatment or other interventions. These included depression, physical inactivity, smoking, hearing loss, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and educational attainment.

Researchers said their findings found important differences between women and men. Women were more likely to report depression, physical inactivity and sleep problems. Depression, for example, was reported by 17 percent of women compared with 9 percent of men. Women also had slightly lower average educational attainment, another factor associated with cognitive decline later in life.

Men, meanwhile, had higher rates of hearing loss, diabetes and heavy alcohol use. High blood pressure was common in both groups, affecting roughly six in 10 participants. Average body mass index (BMI), a measure based on height and weight, fell within the overweight-to-obese range for both sexes.

“Ultimately, a more nuanced understanding of these differences could help us design smarter, more targeted interventions,” said Megan Fitzhugh, PhD, assistant professor of neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine and first author of the study, in a news release. “That’s an essential step toward reducing the burden of dementia for everyone, but especially for women, who are disproportionately affected.”

Some Risk Factors May Have a Stronger Impact on Women

The researchers found that prevalence was only part of the story. Some risk factors appeared to have a stronger relationship with cognitive performance in women than in men. Cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, including high blood pressure and higher BMI, were associated with greater declines in cognitive performance among women. Hearing loss and diabetes also showed stronger links to poorer cognitive scores in women, despite being more common among men.

The findings suggest that the same health condition may not affect dementia risk equally across sexes. As a result, prevention efforts may be more effective when they focus not only on how common a risk factor is, but also on how strongly it affects cognitive health in women and men.

Researchers emphasized that many of these risk factors are modifiable. Managing depression, staying physically active and controlling cardiovascular health conditions such as untreated high blood pressure may help support long-term brain health. They added that additional research is needed to better understand why these sex-based differences occur and how they can be used to develop more targeted dementia prevention strategies

‘Smart Wristband’ May Help Detect Cardiac Arrest Faster, Study Finds

New wearable technology could one day help save lives by automatically detecting cardiac arrest and alerting emergency responders, according to new research from the American Heart Association.

Researchers in the Netherlands tested a smart wristband designed to continuously monitor blood flow through the wrist using light-based sensors similar to those found in many smartwatches. The goal was to see whether the device could quickly recognize when a person’s heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively — a medical emergency known as cardiac arrest.

The findings were published in the journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.

Study Tested Device During Controlled Heart Procedures

The study included 49 adults with serious heart rhythm disorders who were undergoing medical procedures to treat abnormal heartbeats. During these procedures, doctors briefly triggered dangerous heart rhythms in a controlled hospital setting, so they could evaluate whether the wristband correctly identified cardiac arrest events.

Researchers focused on two life-threatening heart rhythms: ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Both conditions prevent the heart from circulating blood properly and can quickly become fatal without immediate treatment. These abnormal rhythms are often treated with an automated external defibrillator (AED), which delivers an electrical shock to restore a normal heartbeat.

The wristband correctly detected cardiac arrest 92 percent of the time overall. It identified all cases of ventricular fibrillation and 90 percent of pulseless ventricular tachycardia events. Researchers also reported relatively few false alarms during more than 125 hours of monitoring.

Technology Could Act as a “Digital Witness”

Study author Dr. Judith Bonnes of Radboud University Medical Center said the technology could serve as a “digital witness” during unwitnessed cardiac arrests, which often occur when a person is alone and unable to call for help.

In future versions, the wristband could potentially notify emergency dispatch centers, nearby trained volunteers, or ambulance teams automatically when cardiac arrest is detected. Faster response times are critical because survival chances decrease rapidly with every minute without CPR or defibrillation.

Experts not involved in the study described the findings as promising, especially because the device produced relatively few false alerts.

More Research Still Needed

Researchers cautioned that the study was small and conducted only in a controlled medical environment. The technology has not yet been tested during normal daily activities such as walking, exercising, or sleeping.

Additional studies will be needed to confirm whether the wristband can reliably detect cardiac arrest in real-world situations. Still, researchers believe wearable technology could eventually become an important tool for helping people receive lifesaving treatment faster during cardiac emergencies.

New Research: Better Heart Health Linked to Lower Risk of Severe COVID-19

Adults who had better heart health before the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly less likely to become severely ill or die from the virus, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers found that people with the highest scores on the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8” heart health checklist were nearly half as likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 compared to those with the lowest scores. The study examined nearly 30,000 adults and adds to growing evidence that overall cardiovascular health may influence how the body responds to serious infections.

What Is Life’s Essential 8?

Life’s Essential 8 is a tool used to measure heart health. It evaluates eight factors: diet, physical activity, smoking status, sleep, body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting better heart health.

The analysis showed that adults with scores between 80 and 100 had a 46 percent lower risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes than adults with scores below 50. Researchers also found that every 14-point increase in a person’s score was linked to a 20 percent lower risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19.

Several specific health factors appeared especially important. Higher levels of physical activity, healthier body weight, normal blood pressure and consistent sleep patterns were each associated with lower risk of severe illness.

Healthy Habits May Help the Body Handle Stress

The study focused on adults without existing cardiovascular disease, helping researchers better understand how general heart health affects the body’s response to infection. Severe COVID-19 was defined as cases that resulted in hospitalization or death.

Lead study author, Tim Plante, M.D., M.H.S., an associate professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and an internal medicine physician with University of Vermont Health, said in a news release that the findings suggest stronger heart health — and maintaining healthy habits — may help the body better manage the stress caused by viral infections.

“Our findings suggest that the tremendous impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. could have been reduced if the general population had had better heart health prior to the onset of the pandemic,” Dr. Plante stated.

COVID-19 caused more than 1.2 million deaths in the U.S. between March 2020 and March 2025, making it important to understand factors that may reduce severe outcomes.

Findings Reinforce Importance of Prevention

Experts not involved in the study said the findings reinforce the broader benefits of healthy lifestyle habits. In addition to helping prevent heart disease, habits such as regular exercise, quality sleep and maintaining healthy blood pressure may also help protect against serious complications from respiratory infections like COVID-19.

Researchers emphasized that vaccination remains important, particularly for older adults and people with lower heart health scores or heart disease