Science & technology | Keeping your marbles

How to reduce the risk of developing dementia

A healthy lifestyle can prevent or delay almost half of cases

Illustration of an elderly person, dressed in a red coat, is holding a umbrella, bracing against a stormy sky filled with dark clouds and flashes of lightning. — Illustration: Cornelia Li

Aug 5th 2024

Some of the best strategies for reducing the chances of developing dementia are, to put it kindly, impracticable. Don’t grow old; don’t be a woman; choose your parents carefully. But although old age remains by far the biggest risk factor, women are more at risk than men and some genetic inheritances make dementia more likely or even almost inevitable, the latest research suggests that as many as 45% of cases of dementia are preventable—or at least that their onset can be delayed.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Silver linings”