Half of women likely to develop dementia, Parkinson's or have a stroke

Half of women will develop dementia, Parkinson's disease or have a stroke in their lifetime, new research suggests.

Dr James Pickett, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

'It’s a sad reality that in the UK someone develops dementia every three minutes with one million people in the UK due to be living with it by 2021. This study further highlights the well-established fact that women are at a greater risk of dementia than men, but shows how taking proactive healthy lifestyle measures can significantly lessen that dementia risk, regardless of age.

'As researchers found that people who had dementia were more likely to have had high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, what we can take from this is that healthy lifestyle choices such as eating a Mediterranean-style diet, exercising regularly and not smoking can make a real impact on reducing dementia risk, and it’s never too late to start. We need more research to better understand the link between heart and brain health. To that end, Alzheimer’s Society is currently funding nearly one million pounds worth of research into links between diabetes and dementia.'

What research do we fund?

We are investing £10 million a year into dementia research. We fund a variety of dementia research projects and initiatives across the UK to help improve care, understand causes and work towards a cure.

Learn more