Prevention of Dementia

About four in ten dementia cases may be linked to modifiable risk factors - prevention is not a guarantee, but it is genuinely possible to lower your odds, starting at any age.

Protect the vessels, protect the brain

• Blood pressure control in midlife: possibly the single most powerful dementia-prevention step
• Diabetes and cholesterol management - the brain ages with the arteries
• Do not smoke; keep alcohol low
• Healthy weight and regular movement - what protects the heart protects the brain

Use it - the activity evidence

• Regular exercise: 150 minutes a week of brisk walking counts - the best-documented brain protector we have
• Mental engagement: reading, learning new skills, games, puzzles - a brain kept working stays resilient longer
• Social connection: loneliness and isolation are genuine risk factors - family, friends, community, volunteering all count as prevention
• Purposeful activity: work, hobbies, teaching, temple or community roles - engagement with meaning

The fixable risks people miss

• Hearing loss: a major, correctable risk - hearing aids in midlife measurably reduce dementia risk; get the hearing tested
• Sleep: chronic poor sleep ages the brain; treat snoring and sleep apnoea
• Depression: treat it, at every age
• Head protection: helmets on two-wheelers - head injuries raise risk

What does not prevent dementia

• No supplement, tonic or "brain vitamin" has proven preventive power
• Brain-training apps alone - real-life complex activity beats screen games
• Wishful thinking about family history - genes load the dice, lifestyle still plays them

One-line summary

Dementia prevention is midlife blood pressure, no smoking, exercise, hearing aids when needed, sleep, learning, and staying socially connected - unglamorous, evidence-backed, and worth more than any supplement ever sold for memory.