Dementia risk reduction: it's never too early, it's never too late

There are 850,000 people living with dementia in the United Kingdom today, and there is currently no diseasemodifying intervention available for any form of the condition. Costs from dementia to the UK economy are currently estimated to be over L24 billion a year and approximately 700,000 people are informal carers for people who have dementia. While age is the biggest risk factor for developing dementia, the condition is not an inevitable part of ageing. Other factors such as medical history, lifestyle and genetics may also contribute to the risk of developing dementia. A recent analysis of the research on protective and modifiable factors for dementia concluded that there is strong evidence to show that stroke, midlife high blood pressure and diabetes increase the likelihood of developing dementia. In many cases, risk of these conditions can be minimised through lifestyle choices - cutting out smoking, eating a healthy diet with low alcohol consumption, keeping physically active and maintaining a healthy weight. [...]