Better brain care score linked to lower risk of heart disease and cancer

A new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham has found that a higher McCance Brain Care Score not only associates with the risk of brain-related conditions such as stroke, dementia, and depression but also strongly associates with developing cardiovascular disease and three common types of cancer. Their results are published in Family Practice.

While the McCance Brain Care Score was originally developed to address modifiable risk factors for brain diseases, we have also found it's associated with the incidence of cardiovascular disease and common cancers. These findings reinforce the idea that brain disease, heart disease, and cancer share common risk factors and that by taking better care of your brain, you may also be supporting the health of your heart and body as a whole simultaneously."

Sanjula Singh, MD, PhD, MSc, senior author of the McCance Center for Brain Health, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)

Developed at Mass General Brigham, the McCance Brain Care Score (BCS) is a 21-point tool designed to assess modifiable risk factors that influence brain health. It evaluates physical, lifestyle, and social-emotional domains linked to the risk of age-related brain diseases. Previous studies performed by Singh and her team showed that a higher BCS, indicating better brain care, associates with a lower risk of stroke, dementia, and late-life depression.

Neurological diseases such as stroke, dementia, and late-life depression are often driven by a combination of modifiable risk factors. Similarly, cardiovascular diseases-including ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure-and the three most common cancers worldwide (lung, colorectal, and breast cancer) share many of these same risk factors. In fact, at least 80% of cardiovascular disease and 50% of cancer cases are attributable to modifiable behaviors such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol use, elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, as well as psychosocial factors like stress and social isolation.

Given this overlap, the team used data from the UK Biobank to analyze health outcomes in 416,370 individuals aged 40 to 69 years. They found that a 5-point higher BCS at baseline was associated with a 43% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease-including ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure-over a median follow-up of 12.5 years. For cancer, a 5-point increase in BCS was associated with a 31% lower incidence of lung, colorectal, and breast cancer.

The authors acknowledged several limitations. First, while the findings reveal strong associations, the study does not establish causality-although prior evidence suggests that some individual components of the BCS, such as smoking, physical activity, and blood pressure control, have causal links to specific outcomes. Second, because the UK Biobank includes only participants aged 40 to 69 at enrollment, the findings may not generalize to younger or older populations. Lastly, while the BCS provides a broad, accessible measure of brain health, it is not designed as a disease-specific predictive model. Instead, it serves as a practical framework to help individuals identify meaningful, achievable lifestyle changes that support brain-and possibly systemic-health.

"The goal of the McCance Brain Care Score is to empower individuals to take small, meaningful steps toward better brain health," said lead author Jasper Senff, MD, who conducted this work as a postdoctoral fellow in the Singh Lab at Brain Care Labs at MGH. "Taking better care of your brain by making progress on your Brain Care Score may also be linked to broader health benefits, including a lower likelihood of heart disease and cancer."

"Primary care providers around the world are under growing pressure to manage complex health needs within limited time," said Singh. "A simple, easy-to-use tool like the McCance Brain Care Score holds enormous promise-not only for supporting brain health, but also for helping to address modifiable risk factors for a broader range of chronic diseases in a practical, time-efficient way."