According to a recent poll, the disease Americans fear most is Alzheimer’s, and now you can take a short test to evaluate your risk. A new tool called the Brain Care Score, or BCS, can help assess your chance of having a stroke or developing dementia.

According to CNN, a new study published recently in the journal Frontiers in Neurology revealed that participants with a higher score on the 21-point Brain Care Score had a lower risk of developing dementia or having stroke later in life.

“Patients and practitioners can start focusing more on improving their BCS today, and the good news is improving on these elements will also provide overall health benefits,” said the study’s senior author Dr. Jonathan Rosand, cofounder of the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The list of 12 steps covering modifiable physical, lifestyle, and social-emotional components of health was developed by investigators from the McCance Center and their collaborators in the United States and Europe, says a news release.

For the study, the scientists obtained a baseline BCS at the start of enrollment for 398,990 adults between the ages of 40 and 69 in the UK. Physical components of the brain score involve cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar, and body mass index. Lifestyle components include nutrition, alcohol consumption, smoking, aerobic activity, and sleep. Lastly, the scientists asked about social-emotional components that involve stress management, social relationships, and purpose in life.

During the median follow-up of 12.5 years, there were 5,354 new cases of dementia and 7,259 strokes among the participants in the study. Investigators found that those with a higher BCS had a lower risk of developing dementia or stroke as they aged.

Each five-point positive difference in the BCS was associated with a 59% lower risk of developing dementia and a 48% reduced risk of having a stroke in those younger than 50. Similar estimates were found in participants between ages 50 and 59, with 32% lower risk of dementia and 52% lower risk of stroke. For those adults older than 59, the estimates were lower — 8% lower risk of dementia and 33% lower risk of stroke. The authors said that the lower estimates in this age group may be due to the fact that dementia in this cohort progresses more slowly.

The study evaluated the BCS at a single point in the study subjects’ lives, and more research is needed to determine whether a person can reduce their risk of having a stroke or developing dementia by improving their BCS score through behavior and lifestyle changes.

“We have every reason to believe that improving your BCS over time will substantially reduce your risk of ever having a stroke or developing dementia in the future,” said Rosand. “But as scientists, we always want to see proof.”