Nearly Half of Dementia Cases Could Be Prevented or Delayed: Lancet Commission

An estimated 57 million people around the world are living with dementia, and that number is expected to increase to 153 million by 2050. But a new report published by the Lancet Commission on dementia estimates that almost half of the cases of the neurological disease can likely be avoided or delayed. Twenty-seven of the world’s leading dementia experts co-authored the report. These experts point to 12 existing risk factors and two new ones that could prevent or delay dementia. The two new risk factors included are vision loss and having high low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol. The previous 12 risk factors include less education, hearing loss, depression, traumatic brain injury, physical inactivity, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, social isolation, and air pollution....