---
title: "How to Lower Your Dementia Risk: 14 Factors You Can Change"
description: Nearly half of dementia cases are linked to 14 risks you can change, including hearing loss, high cholesterol and vision loss. What to do at every age.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-01T10:45:38.386Z
updated: 2026-11-01T10:45:49.954Z
canonical: https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/lower-dementia-risk
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-34761.webp
categories: Health, Longevity & Science
content_type: Guide
region: United Kingdom
publication: Rich Health Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

Dementia is often talked about as a matter of bad luck or bad genes, but the largest review of the evidence points to something more hopeful. In July 2024, the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care, led by Professor Gill Livingston of University College London, concluded that nearly half of dementia cases worldwide are linked to 14 risk factors that individuals and governments can change.

The commission named 12 of those factors in its 2020 report. The 2024 update added two more: high levels of LDL cholesterol, often called 'bad' cholesterol, in midlife, and untreated vision loss in later life. Researchers at the University of Cambridge who worked on the report calculated that the original 12 account for around 40% of cases and the two new factors for a further 9%.

Several of the 14 are familiar from heart health: high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, diabetes, [physical inactivity](https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/vigorous-activity-cancer-risk) and drinking too much alcohol. Others surprise people. Untreated hearing loss and high LDL cholesterol each account for around 7% of cases worldwide, the largest share of any factor. Less education in childhood and social isolation in later life account for around 5% each, and depression, head injury and air pollution complete the list.

'It's never too early or too late to take action,' Livingston said when the report was published. The steps below follow the commission's own recommendations.

## Get your hearing tested

Hearing loss is the single largest risk factor in the report, and the commission recommends making hearing aids available to everyone who needs them and cutting exposure to harmful noise. Many people put off a hearing test for years, often because they assume their hearing is not bad enough to matter. If you turn the television up, ask people to repeat themselves or struggle to follow conversations in restaurants, ask your GP for a referral. NHS hearing aids are provided free, along with batteries, repairs and aftercare.

## Know your cholesterol from 40

The commission recommends detecting and treating high LDL cholesterol in midlife from around the age of 40. In England, a cholesterol test is part of the free NHS Health Check offered every five years to adults aged 40 to 74 who do not already have certain conditions. If your result is high, talk to your GP about diet, activity and whether medication would help.

## Look after your eyesight

Untreated vision loss accounts for around 2% of cases, and the commission calls for screening and treatment to be accessible to everyone. NHS eye tests are free for everyone aged 60 or over, and for people aged 40 or over whose parent, brother, sister or child has glaucoma. Common causes of poor sight, such as cataracts, can often be treated, so a change in your vision is worth reporting rather than living with.

## Keep blood pressure, blood sugar and weight in check

High blood pressure, diabetes and obesity in midlife all [raise the risk of dementia later on](https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/midlife-risk-factors-13-dementia-free-years). The NHS Health Check measures blood pressure and looks at your risk of [type 2 diabetes](https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/prevent-type-2-diabetes), so the same appointment covers several factors at once. Stopping smoking and drinking within the UK low-risk guideline of 14 units a week tackle two more.

## Stay connected

Social isolation in later life accounts for around 5% of cases. The commission wants communities and housing designed to make social contact easier, but individuals can act too. A weekly class, a walking group, volunteering or [a regular call with an old friend](https://richhealthmagazine.com/article/loneliness-making-friends-midlife) all count, and the earlier these habits start, the more likely they are to last into later life.

## Treat depression and keep your mind busy

The commission recommends treating depression effectively and staying cognitively active in midlife. Low mood that lasts more than a couple of weeks is worth raising with a GP, and learning something new, whether a language, an instrument or a demanding hobby, keeps the brain working.

## Protect your head

Head injury is on the list, which is why the commission recommends helmets and head protection for cycling and contact sports. Air pollution is harder for any one person to control, so the commission calls on governments to bring in strict clean air policies.

The commission also stresses that dementia risk is higher for people from deprived backgrounds and some ethnic minority groups, and Livingston urged governments to make healthy lifestyles achievable for everyone. The 'nearly half' figure describes populations, not a guarantee for any one person, and some cases will happen whatever anyone does. For most readers, though, the first steps cost little: a hearing test, an eye test and a cholesterol check can all be booked this week.