Reduce your risk of dementia

There is a lot of evidence that lifestyle choices can affect our risk of developing dementia. Dementia risk is lowest in people who have healthy behaviours in mid-life (aged 40–65). No single behaviour is guaranteed to prevent dementia, and some are more easy to change than others.

Take physical exercise

Doing regular physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia. It’s good for your heart, circulation, weight and mental wellbeing.

There are two main types of physical activity – aerobic activity and strength-building activity. Each type will keep you fit in different ways. Doing a combination of these activities will help you to reduce your risk of dementia.

Drink less alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol increases your risk of developing dementia.

If you regularly drink alcohol, try to do so in moderation and within recommended limits. Drinking too much alcohol at one time exposes your brain to high levels of harmful chemicals.

Try to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol each week. This is equal to about one pint of beer or a small glass of wine each day. If you regularly drink much more than this, you are increasing your risk of damage to your brain and other organs, and so increasing your risk of dementia.

Don't smoke

If you smoke, you’re putting yourself at a much higher risk of developing dementia later in life.

Smoking does a lot of harm to the circulation of blood around the body, particularly the blood vessels in the brain, as well as the heart and lungs.

It’s never too late to quit smoking. The earlier you stop, the more brain damage you will avoid.

Stay mentally well and socially active

It is likely that depression is a risk factor for dementia. If you feel you might be getting depressed, seek help early. If you often feel low, anxious or irritable, talk to your GP or contact a mental health organisation, such as Mind.

Social isolation can also greatly increase a person’s risk of dementia. Engaging in social activities may help to build up your brain’s ability to relieve stress and improve your mood.

Manage long-term health conditions

Certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes can increase the risk of getting dementia. An important way to manage this is by going for a health check.

Eating an unhealthy diet may also cause health problems, including obesity, which can be linked to an increased risk of dementia.

Protect your eyesight and hearing

Uncorrected vision loss increases a person’s risk of developing dementia. People who have corrected vision loss do not have an increased risk of developing dementia.

Hearing loss is related to an increased risk of developing dementia and may be an early symptom. Managing hearing loss works best when you start doing it early on. The use of hearing aids has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia to the level of a person with normal hearing.

Protect your head

Traumatic brain injuries are caused by a blow or jolt to the head – especially when the person is knocked out unconscious. These can start a process in the brain where the substances that cause Alzheimer’s disease build up around the injured area.

Wear protective headgear in situations where there is a higher-than-normal risk of head injury – for example, riding a bike, working on a building site, horse-riding or playing cricket.

More research is needed to fully understand the amount of long-term dementia risk involved in contact sports like rugby or football. It’s important that coaching staff know how to deal with concussions and other head injuries.

Environmental risk factors

Certain forms of air pollution increase a person’s risk of dementia. It is difficult for an individual to reduce their exposure to polluted air and better environmental policies are needed to reduce air pollution.