Back in 2020, we highlighted a landmark report issued by The Lancet Commission which addressed modifiable risk factors for dementia and outlined lifestyle changes that could substantially lower your risk for being diagnosed with dementia. Among the modifiable factors within your control? Smoking, hearing loss, healthy diet and exercise. A new update to that report has highlighted two additional factors that could help reduce your risk of being diagnosed with dementia by nearly half. According to this new report, addressing vision loss and reducing cholesterol indicators can help reduce your risk of dementia. While there are still factors related to genetics and other considerations beyond your control, it is becoming increasingly clear that all of us can do much more to lower our risk for dementia as we age. For some practical tips to put you on that path, click here. And this knowledge of how to lessen the likelihood of dementia couldn’t come soon enough, as we continue to uncover evidence of a rising number of dementia diagnoses and deaths, perhaps because people are being diagnosed earlier or older adults are living longer. To find out more, take a look here.

Fortunately, scientists continue to delve into modifiable factors and how you can take control to lower your dementia risks. For example, new research published in the journal Neurology addresses the condition of untreated hypertension (high blood pressure) and how treatment of this “silent and often symptomless killer” can substantially lower your risk of dementia. What the research found was that among those aged 60 and older, living with untreated high blood pressure could raise your risk for Alzheimer’s up to 42% higher than the dementia risk of those taking medications to control their hypertension. Even more disturbing was those with uncontrolled hypertension had a 69% higher risk of other types of non-Alzheimer’s dementia compared to those whose blood pressure was under control. Given that the WHO reports that only 1 in 5 people worldwide have their blood pressure under control, the number of potential cases of dementia that could be reduced is staggering. There’s simply no debate that keeping your blood pressure under control is an important and addressable way to lower your risk for dementia. So grab that blood pressure cuff and read more here.

Finally, one additional way to address your risk for dementia? Scientists have been building the case, and have newly reported in both the scientific literature and at scientific conferences, that receiving the relatively new Shingrix vaccine to protect against shingles is another method to lower your risk for dementia. While it’s not 100% clear why this vaccine lowers your risk, it’s thought that the vaccine significantly reduces the recurrence of the herpes virus within your system (that originally caused your chicken pox) and a herpes infection may play a role in the development of dementia. Alternatively, it could be that your immune system is activated by Shingrix in a way to lower your risk for dementia. While there needs to be a better understanding of this connection, there also needs to be a better uptake of Shingrix, as reports are that only 18.6 % of US adults over age 50 have received at least one dose of this 2-dose vaccine. So do yourself and your brain a favor, and get your vaccine status up-to-date with a Shingrix shot.