A 2024 update -- Dementia prevention and risk factors

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01296-0/abstract

The 2024 update of the Lancet Commission on Dementia provides hopeful information about dementia prevention and intervention, outlining pressing modifiable risk factors for age-related cognitive decline. As a summary of the 'take-aways' of this ground-breaking article, new research since 2020 has outlined the following factors, mostly health-related, as crucial for preventing or delaying the onset of dementia, with an estimate of nearly 50% of cases to be prevented or delayed with the management of the following factors:

1. Education-- quality education is protective with benefits of cognitively stimulating activities in midlife;

2. Hearing loss -- screening and managing hearing loss is protective;

3. hypertension-- maintaining systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or less from age 40 onwards is protective;

4. Smoking -- reducing smoking through education and cessation programs;

5. Obesity-- maintaining a healthy weight is protective and likely mediated by prevention of diabetes;

6. Depression -- effective treatment is paramount;

7. Physical inactivity -- medically indicated exercise is protective, likely linked to reducing health-related risk factors such as vascular disease, obesity and depression;

8. Diabetes -- management and prevention of same is protective;

9. High alcohol consumption -- keeping consumption within healthy guidelines;

10. Traumatic Brain Injury -- encouraging the use of head protection during sport / exercise is protective to reduce TBI, even concussion occurrences;

11. Air pollution -- reducing exposure to air pollution is protective;

12. Social isolation -- social activities and engagement in community is protective;

13. Untreated vision loss -- screening and treating vision loss is protective likely by supporting healthy social and physical activity engagement;

14. High LDL cholesterol -- detecting and treating from midlife is protective.

Although checking with your medical practitioner on how the above translates to your health and lifestyle is paramount, managing the above risk factors can support a healthy approach to cognitive aging.