Association seen in Black and White individuals, with larger magnitude for Blacks
FRIDAY, Jan. 2, 2026 (HealthDay News) — The Brain Care Score (BCS), a tool encompassing 12 modifiable risk factors, is associated with incident stroke in Black and White U.S. adults, with a larger effect size for Black adults, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in Neurology.
Evy M. Reinders, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues assessed the BCS and its associations with incident stroke in Black versus White individuals using data from REGARDS, a prospective U.S. cohort of Black and White adults aged 45 years or older. The cohort included 10,861 participants who were stroke free at baseline and had complete BCS data.
The researchers found that over a median of 15.9 years, 696 strokes occurred. In both groups, a five-point higher BCS was associated with lower stroke risk, with larger magnitude for Black versus White individuals (hazard ratios, 0.47 and 0.75, respectively).
“The Brain Care Score integrates physical, lifestyle, and social-emotional factors into one measure of brain health,” Reinders said in a statement. “Our analyses suggest that improving everyday behaviors could yield particularly large benefits for groups at higher risk of stroke, such as Black adults.”
One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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