Overview
- WHO published updated global guidance on July 15 that says up to 45% of dementia risk is linked to modifiable factors such as tobacco, alcohol, physical inactivity, social isolation, cardiometabolic disease and air pollution.
- The guidelines translate evidence into actionable measures that include cognitive training, increased physical activity, smoking cessation, alcohol reduction, management of hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, and offering hearing aids where indicated.
- WHO for the first time recommends reducing exposure to ambient and household air pollution as part of dementia risk reduction and advises against routine use of vitamin B or E supplements, omega‑3s or multivitamins in people without diagnosed deficiencies.
- A multinational study published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity mapped 12–14 modifiable risks across 14 countries and found marked differences and recurring clusters such as cardiometabolic and sensory risks, reinforcing the need for locally tailored prevention integrated into primary care.
- Dementia already affects over 57 million people worldwide, costs an estimated US$1.3 trillion a year largely borne by unpaid family care, and the combined WHO and Lancet findings push policy makers to link air quality, chronic‑disease control and social supports to slow future case growth.