World-leading experts say millions of dementia cases could be prevented, if the government reassess its approach to dementia care.
In total, the panel set out 56 recommendations, from improving public messaging, to identifying individual risk factors – including hearing loss and high blood pressure – addressing environmental stressors such as air pollution, and more funding.
Dr Harriet Demnitz-King, study lead author from Queen Mary University, said: ‘We know dementia risk can be reduced, but the evidence has not yet been transformed into a coherent governmental strategy.
‘People need clear, evidence-based guidance on protecting their brain health, but the information they receive can be confusing or make them feel blamed.
‘What we need now is coordinated, structural action to develop dementia prevention policies that are equitable, realistic and grounded in the lives people actually lead.’
These include 14 existing risk factors set out by the 2024 Lancet Commission which found that almost half of all Alzheimer’s cases could be prevented by tackling high cholesterol, vision loss, physical inactivity, social isolation and air pollution.
Publishing their findings in the journal Nature Reviews Neurology, the team reiterated: ‘These findings underscore the value of prevention at multiple levels, but public awareness of dementia risk factors remains low.’
Professor Charles Marshall, study co-author added: ‘ Dementia is now the leading cause of death in the UK, so we desperately need a clear public health plan to improve this situation.
‘We hope that this consensus will lead to better public messaging about dementia, improved recognition and management of other conditions that increase dementia risk, a strategy on structural approaches to improving brain health, and research that addresses gaps in our knowledge about how best to do all this.
‘Implementing our recommendations will ensure that as many people as possible live to old age without dementia.’
