The importance of a stable childhood: Unhealthy early life affects brain later

Body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and physical activity levels in teens are linked to their chances of developing dementia later in life. Photo: dpa

Teenagers should be considering their dementia risk, academics have said after a new study suggests that having an unhealthy childhood could affect the brain in later life.

A child’s body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and physical activity levels have been linked to differences in the brain by the age of 20 – particularly the areas linked to dementia.