Many people regard dementia as an unavoidable part of growing old. The World Health Organization (WHO) is now pushing back firmly against that view: up to 45 percent of the risk, according to its new recommendations, can be traced to factors that individuals or their health systems are able to influence. On 15 July the agency published updated guidelines in Geneva on preventing cognitive decline — its first comprehensive revision since 2019.
Around 57 million people worldwide live with dementia, the WHO says, with nearly ten million new diagnoses each year; Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 70 percent of cases. There is still no cure. That makes prevention all the more important — and here, experts say, the evidence has grown considerably stronger since 2019.
What is now explicitly advised
Much of what supports general health also protects the brain: regular exercise, a balanced diet, avoiding tobacco and moderating alcohol. The WHO also counts high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol among the controllable risks.
What is new is the weight given to social life. In 2019 the organization saw no solid proof that social contact lowers dementia risk; today it recommends social activity alongside mental stimulation — through reading, storytelling, memory training or board and card games. For the first time it also advises correcting hearing loss with hearing aids, because doing so can help stave off cognitive decline. Cleaner air with less particulate pollution — indoors and outdoors — now counts as part of brain health too; experts see this as one of the most significant additions to a guideline that had focused heavily on lifestyle and cardiovascular health.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world knows more than ever about what drives dementia risk, and that the guidelines translate that knowledge into concrete action countries can put into practice immediately.
Why it matters: the recommendations are no guarantee, and part of the risk remains beyond anyone's control. But they shift the focus — away from simply waiting, toward steps that are often worthwhile anyway. With an ageing global population, even delaying the onset of the disease could give millions of people additional years of mental health.