Dementia prevention is a hot topic for us in the biohacking community. Some risk is genetic, but some is modifiable by what we do. We biohackers love that part. This is an update from the Lancet Commision on Dementia update 2024, “Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission.”
They start by talking about how as people live longer, the number of people who have dementia will rise. Prevention is key. This is an update after their 2020 report. Their advice comes from doing high-quality, systematic reviews and meta analysis. They want us to educate people at an early age, particularly for those in poorer socioecomic groups, as they think if we reduce these risk factors we could reduce dementia risk by half. They focus that being mentally active, physically active, and socially active is important to maintain in midlife (ages 18-65) and later life (over age 65). It is never too early to improve these risk factors. They state those who do these prevention activities have a lower risk of dementia than those with unhealthy lifestyles — and if they do develop dementia, they live fewer years with the disease.
What have they found?
Risk Factors for Dementia
- Less education
- Hearing loss — This is strongly correlated. Use of hearing aids is particularly effective.
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Depression
- Physical inactivity
- Diabetes
- Excessive alcohol consumption (12 units)
- Traumatic brain injury — At any age and from any source. This includes sport injuries. Protections from head injury, reducing high-impact collisions, and heading practice in sports is important. As is not playing sports immediately after a traumatic brain injury.
- Air pollution: Policy makers should implement strategies to improve air quality, particularly in areas of high pollution.
- Social isolation
They have now added two more risk factors to the list:
- Untreated vision loss: This is due to things like cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. Treating cataracts had “significantly reduced dementia risk compared to those who did not have cataract extraction.” One study found that it correlated to the severity of vision loss.
- High LDL cholesterol — they showed for each 1 mmol/L increase in LDL was associated with an 8% increase in all-cause dementia risk, and higher baseline LDL was increased risk.
They do discuss biomarkers, like amyloid beta and tau, in those with dementia to confirm Alzheimer’s pathology, but do not confirm that this pathology causes the symptoms. (Amyloid plaques can occur many years before clinical presentation of dementia, and 10% of those 70 and older and 33% of those 85 and older test positive for Amyloid beta).
Stay tuned for more in-depth blogs on each of these factors.
How Can Biohackr Health Help?
- See our brain health treatments. This committee findings drives home how prevention is key.
- Do testing. We have an in-depth cholesterol panel.
- Overweight? See our page on weight loss, ranging from sermorelin, our probiotic, and semaglutide and tirzepatide.
- Get educated. Reading our blogs? Likely is helping your brain health as well.
- Get moving. NAD may also help keep you physically and mentally active. One thing we see mentioned again and again is that how you are in your 30s, 40s, and 50s helps lay the foundation for how you are when older.
