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Dementia is not a natural part of aging and is something we can “definitely prevent.” This is according to Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at leading UK charity Alzheimer's Society, who shared everything that has been linked to preventing the disease—from lifestyle changes to lesser known factors. “Dementia is caused by a collection of different diseases and is definitely not a natural part of aging. We shouldn't ever accept it as that,” he told Newsweek at New Scientist Live 2025 in London. Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of progressive brain conditions, affecting more than 6 million Americans and accounting for more than 100,000 deaths each year. Much as we have learnt that illnesses like cancer and heart disease are not something we have no control over, healthcare approaches to the condition are shifting focus away from just treatment to preventition and early intervention. “We can definitely prevent it. The biggest risk factor is aging and I'm afraid we can't change that. But there are 14 modifiable risk factors," Oakley explained. Dementia's various modifiable risk factors have been catalogued by the Lancet Commission, which looked at all the available data on dementia and prevention globally and then synthesizes that into one report. “Many of these people will know—they include controlling your weight in terms of obesity, your diet, taking exercise, not smoking and drinking alcohol in moderate quantities. With many of them we can take our own actions. We often say, what's good for your heart is good for your head. Very many of those risk factors are exactly the same.” Oakley explained there are also some risk factors that are unique to dementia as well. “Certainly staying in education for longer—that is definitely something which can help build up your cognitive reserve and flexibility,” he said. “Pollution has also been highlighted in the latest commission. That’s a policy maker decision we can make. “There's some things around hearing loss as well. I don't think we quite know whether it's biologically linked, or whether if you don't have a hearing aid and you suffer from hearing loss you remove yourself from social situations. We know if you remove yourself from social situations that's a bad sign for Alzheimer's disease in terms of its progression and the speed of its progression. “So there are definitely things that we can do to prevent it. The latest evidence says about 45 percent of all cases of dementia could be prevented through these modifiable life factors.” However, Oakley emphasized that the onus in the fight against dementia isn’t just on the individual. “Education is a huge part. But then also support to make the changes we've seen in other conditions—you can't just tell people to stop smoking, you have to have stop-smoking processes. You have to have systems, people and support. “I think ‘what’s good for your heart is good for your head’ is a good message, but we need to help people then make those changes.” New Scientist Live is due to return to London Excel next year. Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about dementia? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. Reference
