Lifestyle Factors That Could Help Prevent Dementia

Dementia is not a probable part of ageing, but the risk of developing dementia does increase the older you get. There are also certain lifestyle and environmental factors that can increase the risk of developing the condition. Although there is no cure, early intervention can significantly slow down its progression.

The 2024 Lancet report on dementia identified 14 risk factors that could prevent around 45% of global dementia cases, but a new study has since identified four additional factors that suggest up to 65% of dementia cases may be preventable¹.

What is The Lancet Dementia Commission?

The Lancet Dementia Commission is a report that identifies lifestyle factors that have the potential to prevent almost half of dementia cases. Whilst there are certain risk factors that are not preventable, such as age and genes², the commission builds on previous reports and identifies 14 modifiable risk factors for the prevention of dementia³, the most common are:

1. Education – The better the quality and engagement of education, the lower the risk of dementia. A higher and better education could also lead to a higher paying, more cognitively stimulating job, which improves access to healthcare and safer living and working conditions⁴.
2. Hearing loss may mean that the areas of the brain that are used to understand sounds and speech have to work harder; the extra effort may lead to changes in the brain that affect memory and thinking abilities. People with hearing problems may also be more likely to isolate themselves, increasing both the risk of depression and dementia⁵.
3. High cholesterol – high levels of cholesterol in the blood can cause proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease, called amyloid and tau, to build up in the brain. High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood can also increase the risk of stroke, which leads to damage to brain cells. Almost one in three people who have had a stroke go on to develop vascular dementia⁶.
4. Social isolation – Social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased blood pressure, stress response, and risk of cardiovascular disease. They also negatively impact mental health, leading to increased depressive and anxiety symptoms, sleep irregularities, and cognitive decline, all risk factors for depression⁷.
5. Depression – Depression can lead to changes in health and behaviour that in turn increase risk for dementia, such as increased risk of high blood pressure, reduced physical activity, higher alcohol consumption, poor quality diet, social isolation, and getting less sleep⁸.

The other factors include visual impairment, hypertension, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, traumatic brain injury, and air pollution.

Recent updates to the report

A new study in collaboration with the Women’s Brain Foundation (WBF)¹, aimed to broaden the 2024 model into a more inclusive framework⁹. Four additional factors were added: poverty, income inequality, wealth shocks, and HIV infection rates. Including these four factors could increase the proportion of preventable dementia cases to around 65%⁹.

Sex and gender were also identified as influences. Though dementia primarily affects women, 57% of the risk factors identified in the 2024 report are more prevalent in men. The additional factors indicate that 56% of modifiable risks disproportionately impact women⁹.

The new report also noted that the 2020 report¹⁰ primarily used population data from high-income countries and therefore did not accurately represent the risk factors in a global context.

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1 Study published in The Lancet E-BioMedicine expands dementia risk factors and finds up to 65% of dementia cases may be preventable | Alzheimer Europe

2 Risk factors for dementia | Alzheimer’s Society

3 Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission – The Lancet

4 Education and dementia risk – Alzheimer’s Research UK

5 Hearing loss and the risk of dementia | Alzheimer’s Society

6 Cholesterol and dementia risk – Alzheimer’s Research UK

7 The impact of loneliness and social isolation on the development of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s Disease – ScienceDirect

8 Depression and dementia risk – Alzheimer’s Research UK

9 Broadening dementia risk models: building on the 2024 Lancet Commission report for a more inclusive global framework – ScienceDirect

10 Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission – The Lancet