You Can Do Something About Your Dementia Risk

Dementia is poised to hit more Americans than ever, but the odds are quietly shifting in your favor. Vox's Bryan Walsh reports that while a graying population means new dementia cases in the US could top 1 million a year by 2060, a person at any given age is now far less likely to develop the condition than someone that age a generation ago. Across rich countries, age-specific dementia rates have fallen roughly 13% per decade since the late 1980s, with similar drops for Alzheimer's specifically.

What's driving the improvement? Walsh points to better heart and blood vessel health—think blood pressure and cholesterol drugs, less smoking, and improved stroke care—as well as more years of schooling, which research has linked to lower dementia risk, though without pinpointing why. A 2024 Lancet commission estimated that tackling 14 midlife risk factors, from high LDL to hearing loss to inactivity, might prevent or delay up to 45% of cases, and Walsh flags the intriguing (but still early) evidence that the shingles vaccine may reduce dementia risk. His view? Some of us will undoubtedly develop dementia. "But that doesn't mean we're helpless." Read his full piece here.