Addressing 14 lifestyle and environmental risk factors from an early age could prevent nearly 50% of dementia cases worldwide. The 2024 Lancet Commission report identifies high LDL cholesterol and vision loss as new risk factors, in addition to 12 previously known factors. It emphasizes the necessity for urgent, comprehensive preventive measures to tackle the dementia epidemic.
This is especially critical as global life expectancy increases and dementia cases are projected to rise worldwide.
The 14 risk factors for dementia are now:
- High LDL cholesterol
- Vision Loss
- Less education
- Head injury
- Physical inactivity
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Hearing loss
- Depression
- Infrequent social contact
- Air pollution
The new report estimates that 7% of dementia cases are attributable to high LDL cholesterol in midlife (around age 40) and 2% to untreated vision loss in later life. These new risk factors are in addition to the 12 identified in the 2020 Lancet Commission report, which account for 40% of dementia cases: lower levels of education, hearing impairment, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury (TBI), air pollution, and social isolation.
The report notes that hearing impairment and high LDL cholesterol each account for 7% of dementia cases globally, while less education in early life and social isolation in later life each account for 5%.
Authored by 27 leading dementia experts, the Commission calls for ambitious efforts by governments and individuals to tackle these risks throughout the life course, advocating that the earlier these risk factors are addressed, the better the outcomes. The report outlines a new set of policy and lifestyle changes to help prevent and manage dementia more effectively.
“Policy makers should prioritize resources to enable risk reduction to prevent or delay dementia and interventions to improve symptoms and life for people with dementia and their families,” said the authors.
