The world's leading dementia experts identified 14 factors you can change that account for nearly half of all dementia cases

The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention is your roadmap to improved cognitive health

The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care brings together the world's leading dementia researchers to evaluate the latest evidence on preventing and managing cognitive decline. First published in 2017 and updated in 2020 and 2024, the Commission's reports have become the definitive global reference for dementia prevention.

Their central finding is transformative: approximately 45% of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors throughout the life course.

The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention Abstract

Report Overview

  • The 2024 Commission update identifies 14 risk factors across three life stages:

    • Early Life (under 45 years)

      Less education: 5%

    • Midlife (45-65 years)

      Hearing loss: 7%

      High LDL cholesterol: 7%

      Depression: 3%

      Traumatic brain injury: 3%

      Physical inactivity: 2%

      Diabetes: 2%

      Smoking: 2%

      Hypertension: 2%

      Obesity: 1%

      Excessive alcohol: 1%

    • Later Life (over 65 years)

      Social isolation: 5%

      Air pollution: 3%

      Vision loss: 2%

    • Total potentially preventable: ~45%

  • The Commission's findings are both sobering and hopeful. Yes, dementia affects millions of families. But nearly half of cases may be preventable through actions you can take at any age.

    The key insight: it's never too early and never too late to start protecting your brain.

    • In early life, education builds cognitive reserve

    • In midlife, managing cardiovascular risk factors and staying active preserves brain health

    • In later life, staying socially connected and addressing sensory impairments continues to matter

  • The intervention group showed significantly greater improvement in overall cognitive function compared to the control group.

    Specific Improvements:

    • Executive function: 83% greater improvement vs. control

    • Processing speed: 150% greater improvement vs. control

    • Complex memory tasks: 40% greater improvement vs. control

    • The intervention group had a 30% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment after two years

    • Carriers of the APOE ε4 gene (associated with higher Alzheimer's risk) showed clear benefits from the intervention

    • Participants reported better health-related quality of life

    • Risk of multimorbidity was reduced by 60% in the intervention group

  • FINGER proved three crucial points:

    1. Prevention is possible For the first time, a rigorous clinical trial demonstrated that lifestyle changes could protect cognitive function in people at risk for dementia.

    2. Multi-domain approaches work Single interventions (just exercise, or just brain training) had shown modest results in previous studies. FINGER showed that addressing multiple factors together amplifies the benefits.

    3. It's never too late Even participants in their 70s with existing risk factors showed improvements. The brain's capacity for change persists throughout life.

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