International dementia experts have expanded their list of risk factors that, if reduced or eliminated, could prevent or delay 40% of dementia cases worldwide.
In its 2017 report, The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care identified 9 preventable risk factors for dementia: having little or no education, hypertension, untreated hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, and low social contact. Since then, the commission has reported that emerging evidence points to 3 more preventable dementia risk factors: head injuries or excessive alcohol consumption in midlife and air pollution exposure in later life.