The 2024 Lancet Report Shows That Nearly Half of Dementia Cases Are Preventable—Learn More

In 2022, 2.3 million U.S. adults aged 65 and older were diagnosed with dementia, increasing concerns among at-risk seniors about prevention. The 2024 Lancet dementia report identified 14 key risk factors, plus two new ones, suggesting that 45 percent of dementia cases could be preventable with lifelong intervention. Read the full story to discover how you can prevent dementia.

The 2024 Lancet Commission identifies risk factors for dementia

The Lancet Commission on Dementia convenes annually to review and discuss research on the best practices for preventing and managing dementia.

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The Commission’s most recent report identified the following 14 previously known risk factors of dementia:

• Lower levels of education
• Head injury
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol use
• High blood pressure 
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Hearing loss
• Depression
• Infrequent social contact
• Air pollution

In addition to this list, the authors identified two new risk factors, untreated vision loss and high cholesterol, that are important for people to address and monitor throughout their lives to prevent the onset of dementia. 

These 16 modifiable dementia risk factors account for nearly 50 percent of all dementia cases worldwide and the authors conclude that, with timely intervention and care across all life stages, 45 percent of dementia cases are potentially preventable. 

The impact of the 2024 Lancet Commission on policy

The Commission’s authors warn that the number of dementia cases will continue to increase in all countries as they urge lawmakers to take legislative action, according to the report’s findings.

“Policy makers should prioritise resources to enable risk reduction to prevent or delay dementia and interventions to improve symptoms and life for people with dementia and their families,” the authors write in the 2024 Lancet Commission. “The prevention approach should be directed at addressing risk factor levels at an early stage and continuing throughout the life course.”

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Examples of helpful policies outlined in the report include smoking bans in public places, reducing hours of alcohol sales and making healthy food more accessible than it currently is.

The authors note that lifestyle changes or interventions at any stage of life can reduce dementia risk. Thus, implementing healthcare policies that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors will benefit people of all ages.

How to prevent dementia according to the 2024 Lancet Commission

While influencing policy-making may be the big-picture goal of the 2024 Lancet Commission on Dementia, the report also reveals several ways people can take control of dementia prevention with lifestyle choices. 

The report discusses the importance of a well-rounded diet stating that “eating a diet high in fruit and vegetables and low in ultra-processed foods is good for many health conditions and affects the dementia risk factors of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.”

The report also emphasizes the importance of combating social isolation.

“Prioritise age-friendly and supportive community environments and housing and reduce social isolation by facilitating participation in activities and living with others,” the authors write. 

What is dementia?

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Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of brain diseases that can manifest in older adults as a loss of memory and cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life. 

Dementia is ultimately caused by brain cell damage that affects the way neurons communicate with each other. Neuronal communication is important for everything we do as humans, especially memory-related tasks. 

Alzheimer’s—a brain disease characterized by gradual cognitive decline—accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.