Report: Nearly Half of Dementia Cases Could Be Prevented or Delayed

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A report published recently by the Lancet Commission found that nearly half of all dementia cases could either be delayed or possibly even prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors, particularly during midlife. The report added high cholesterol and vision loss to the 12 previously identified risk factors. This is the first time since 2020 the commission has updated its findings.

“This report serves as a call to action for people to have annual brain health checkups starting in midlife when the majority of these risk factors appear,” said George Vradenburg, chair and co-founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “Lancet is reminding us there are things people can do to reduce their risk, but it can’t stop there. The brain is a critical organ of the body and should receive regular checkups just like we do with the heart, breasts, colon, and prostate.”

The fourteen risk factors identified by the Lancet commission include social isolation, depression, hearing loss, lack of education, hypertension, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury, air pollution, high LDL cholesterol, and vision loss.