Brain Health

Risk factors and healthy lifestyles

Evidence shows that healthy lifestyles can help keep dementia away. The best part is that it’s never too early or too late to care for your brain—even tiny adjustments can really help. Studies have found risks that, if removed, might delay or stop an important percentage (~45% of dementia cases potentially preventable) of dementia cases.

Here are some evidence-based tips for a general healthy lifestyle, grouped into Antáma’s seven pillars that connect the best science to 14 things we can change to lower dementia risk. All pillars work together; there’s lots of overlap—these steps also help prevent stroke and support about 45% of dementia risk.

Brain health

• Mind your head: buckle up, wear helmets, prevent falls, and skip activities with repeated hits; head injuries account for about 3% of risk.
• Identify hearing loss early and use hearing aids—this is the biggest change we can make in midlife (about 7%).
• Check your vision and treat any issues (about 2%).
• Cut back on air pollution, including secondhand smoke and indoor or outdoor fumes (about 3%).

Mental health

• Look out for and treat depression (about 3%); it can speed up brain changes and weaken resilience.
• Manage stress and nurture your wellbeing—this is a key part of balanced lifestyle plans.
• Aim for 7–8 hours of sleep; both too little (about 18% higher risk) and too much (about 28% higher risk), plus poor sleep, can raise dementia risk.

Cognitive health

• Keep your mind active with education and lifelong learning—early schooling (about 5%) plus fun work and hobbies build brain strength and can delay symptoms.
• Try brain games or mental challenges; these are central to programs that slow decline.

Metabolic health

• Keep blood sugar in check (about 2%) and aim for a healthy weight (obesity about 1–2%).
• Eat for your brain: Choosing a Mediterranean, DASH, or MIND eating style may cut dementia risk by 35–53%. Try to cut back on ultra-processed foods—each extra serving a day can bump risk up about 13%.

Cardiovascular health

• Keep blood pressure in check—it’s the biggest thing you can change. Treating high blood pressure may lower dementia risk by around 40%; aiming for a systolic reading of 130 mmHg or less in midlife is a great goal.
• Bring down high LDL cholesterol (about 7% of risk). Research suggests LDL, non-HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides all play a part.
• Skip nicotine and smoking (about 2% of risk)—help is available to quit.
• The AHA’s Life’s Essential 8 (eating well, staying active, avoiding nicotine, sleeping well, managing cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, and BMI) brings it all together; following it closely may lower cognitive issues by 40–70%.

Fitness and overall health

• Aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity—this can reduce dementia risk by 25–50% by boosting brain flexibility and blood flow.
• Spend less time sitting (sitting 8+ hours a day may raise risk by about 27%).
• Keep alcohol moderate (under about 21 drinks a week; about 1% of risk).

Sociocultural health

• Stay connected and avoid isolation—loneliness later in life accounts for about 5% of risk, while staying socially active may cut risk by up to 50%.
• Work on social and structural issues: people facing economic challenges or from minority groups often carry more risk but also have the most to gain from prevention. Fair access to education, hearing and vision care, and health support is key.

What about Genetics?

A healthy lifestyle can lower your risk of dementia, no matter your genes. Studies show that people with a higher genetic risk who choose a healthy lifestyle are nearly one-third less likely to develop the condition than those with similar genes but less healthy routines.

Important

• These percentages reflect whole populations; one change helps a little (risk ratios around 1.1–2.2), but tackling several together makes a huge difference.
• The biggest boost comes from pairing good habits: when you combine things like not smoking, enjoying alcohol in moderation, staying active, getting enough sleep, and eating well, dementia risk drops by 22–32%—and this helps even if your genes (like APOE ε4) put you at higher risk.
• Programs that tackle several areas at once—such as heart health, nutrition, exercise, brain training, and staying social—have the best track record for slowing memory changes.