Momentous – that’s how one leading UK dementia charity described the approval of the Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab back in August 2024.
A few months later, similar plaudits greeted the arrival of donanemab – the second in a new class of medications that bind to clumps of harmful deposits of proteins called amyloid and tau, and flush them out of the brain.
Yet just over 18 months on, hopes that these ‘revolutionary’ drugs would turn the tide on Britain’s dementia epidemic appear to have been dashed.
First, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ruled last year that neither drug should be available on the NHS, as the benefits were marginal and the costs too high (up to £80,000 per patient per year).
Then, last week, the influential Cochrane Collaboration – a body of independent experts which vets evidence on medical treatments – ruled that the two drugs show ‘no clinically meaningful effect’.
The experts crunched data from 17 different trials, involving more than 20,000 patients, and concluded that while the new drugs do slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, the improvements are negligible and they can have worrying side-effects that include swelling and bleeding in the brain.
The ruling was welcomed by some UK experts, who argued that the drugs’ potential had been over-hyped – but criticised by others (some described it as ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water’) because it did not differentiate between the two newer Alzheimer’s drugs and some older ones already known to have limited benefits.
(Several of those who questioned the Cochrane verdict have previously acted as paid consultants to pharmaceutical firms that produce them.)
There are an estimated one million people in the UK living with dementia – and by 2040 that figure is expected to climb to 1.4 million
There are also questions over whether the proteins are in fact the real culprit: for instance, it has been suggested that a virus – such as herpes, which can remain dormant in nerve cells in the brain – might cause an overgrowth of amyloid which then leads to the toxic clumps seen in Alzheimer’s.
Doubts over the extent to which these protein deposits are involved were increased in 2024, when it emerged that images in a major study published in the journal Nature in 2006 that supported the theory that amyloid caused memory loss had been altered. The paper was later retracted.
Everyone experiences dementia differently. Use this checklist to help you make a note of your symptoms before you talk to your GP.
There are an estimated one million people in the UK living with dementia – and by 2040 that figure is expected to climb to 1.4 million.
But while the search for a cure continues, there is mounting evidence that prevention may be the best form of defence for now.
A major report in 2024 by The Lancet Commission on Dementia concluded that almost half of all cases globally could be prevented, or at least delayed for several years, if action was taken to address 14 risk factors – ranging from smoking and excess alcohol consumption, to loneliness and a sedentary lifestyle – that are driving up rates of illness.
Here, Good Health looks at the lifestyle changes you can make now that have been shown to reduce the risk of dementia.
Check your blood pressure
We all know untreated high blood pressure (a healthy reading is usually between 90/60 and 120/80) is a major risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.
But less well known is that it is also one of the driving forces behind dementia – damaging the tiny blood vessels that supply the brain, linked not only to vascular dementia (where blocked vessels deprive the brain of oxygen-rich blood; a form that affects around 180,000 people in the UK), but to all forms of the disease, says Professor Paul Morgan, director of the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University.
A 2025 study by the University of Texas in the US, involving almost 34,000 people over 40 with previously undiagnosed high blood pressure, found that treating it with medication reduced dementia risk by 15 per cent, reported the journal Nature Medicine.
It’s a similar story with ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol – which can also restrict blood flow to the brain. A healthy reading of LDL (below 1.8mmol/L) reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s by 28 per cent, according to a 2025 study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Get in the sauna regularly
Saunas have been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease and easing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis – but they might also cut the risk of dementia
Saunas have been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease (the heat dilates blood vessels, reducing blood pressure) and easing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (the heat is thought to dampen down inflammation) – but they might also cut the risk of dementia, according to a landmark 2017 study from Finland, published in the journal Age and Ageing.
It tracked healthy middle-aged men over a 20-year period and found that those having saunas two to three times a week were 22 per cent less likely to develop any form of dementia, than those who had them less than once a week; having saunas between four and seven times a week lowered the risk by 65 per cent.
The effects on blood pressure are likely to be a key. But Professor Edward Avezov, from the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, says temperatures of 70-90C (158-194F) in saunas also appear to stress the body’s cells to the point where they release protective proteins.
‘These heat shock proteins appear to “untangle” the plaques [in the brain linked to dementia],’ he told Good Health. ‘But it’s important to note these findings are from Finland where people spend many hours in the sauna.’
Yes, do some voluntary work
It’s well recognised that social interaction is a vital weapon against dementia. It reduces feelings of loneliness and depression – both risk factors for the disease – and studies show it strengthens neural circuits in the brain, making them more resilient to the build-up of harmful plaque deposits as we age.
Even if it doesn’t prevent the condition, it can delay its onset. A study in 2025, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, which followed 1,923 dementia-free adults in their 70s and 80s found that regular social interaction (about an hour a day) – in the form of playing bingo, going to restaurants with friends or day trips – reduced the risk of dementia by an average of 38 per cent.
Bryan James, an associate professor of internal medicine at Rush University Chicago in the US who led the study, said the results revealed that ‘the least socially active older adults developed dementia an average of five years before the most socially active’.
Get stuck into a good book
Reading regularly can reduce the chances of dementia by 40 per cent, according to a Rush University study. The same goes for writing diaries, learning a foreign language or visiting museums.
Reading regularly can reduce the chances of dementia by 40 per cent; and the same goes for writing diaries, learning a foreign language or visiting museums
All these activities are likely to stimulate the brain and ward off the kind of shrinkage that allows dementia to gain a foothold.
The study, involving almost 2,000 people in their 80s, found that just 21 per cent of those who did the most of these kinds of activities had developed Alzheimer’s – compared with 34 per cent of those with the lowest levels.
Try to be more upbeat in life
Even just being a bit more optimistic about life appears to shield you against dementia, according to recent research by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the US. In a 14-year study involving 9,000 retirees, having a cheery outlook on life was associated with a reduction of at least 15 per cent in dementia rates.
Writing in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers said one explanation may be that optimistic people tended to live healthier lifestyles, manage stress well and have strong social connections.
But they stressed that people can learn to be positive by keeping a ‘gratitude list’ – a daily record of three things to be thankful for.
Catch up on lost sleep at weekends
Sleep deprivation isn’t listed as a recognised risk factor for dementia, but a growing number of studies suggest that regularly getting less than six hours’ sleep may put you at risk.
A 2021 study of more than 10,000 UK civil servants – published in the journal Nature Communications – found those sleeping less than this amount between the ages of 60 and 70 were up to 30 per cent more likely to later develop dementia.
Sleep deprivation isn’t listed as a recognised risk factor for dementia, but a growing number of studies suggest that regularly getting less than six hours’ sleep may put you at risk
Other research has linked lack of sleep with higher levels of inflammatory proteins in parts of the brain associated with memory and learning. Another theory is that it reduces the effectiveness of the glymphatic system, which clears the brain of waste at night – including harmful proteins linked to dementia.
But if your hectic work schedule makes it hard to get enough rest during the week, try making up for it at weekends.
Scientists at the National Taiwan University Hospital found that getting a couple of extra hours’ sleep on a Saturday or Sunday reduced the risk of dementia by up to 70 per cent, compared to those who didn’t have a lie-in to make up for lost weekday rest, reported the journal Sleep and Breathing in 2024.
Catching up on lost sleep is thought to reduce inflammation in the brain’s blood vessels.
Watch out for gum disease
Mounting evidence suggests that good dental hygiene can make a real difference to brain health in later years. ‘This is an important risk factor because if you have gum disease it also leads to inflammation in the brain,’ warns Professor Morgan.
In a study at the University of Minnesota in the US, involving more than 4,500 people aged 45 to 64, researchers found that 14 per cent of those with healthy teeth and gums had developed the brain disease, compared with 23 per cent among those with dental problems – including just moderate gum disease (e.g. swollen, red gums that bleed when brushed).
Studies suggest that bacteria that cause inflamed gums may cross the blood-brain barrier and trigger inflammation that accelerates dementia development.
Don’t miss out on your flu jab
Annual flu jabs don’t just reduce your risk of viral infection – they might also protect you against dementia.
A 2021 study by St Louis University School of Medicine in the US, involving 70,000 people in their 60s and 70s, found that after having the flu jab every year for at least six years in a row, their risk of dementia dropped by around 14 per cent.
One theory is that regular vaccinations – of any kind, not just flu – strengthen the ageing immune system just enough so it can prevent, or even repair, the damage that leads to dementia.
Similarly, scientists at the University of Oxford last year found that the shingles vaccine Shingrix (offered to everyone over 65 on the NHS) cuts the risk of dementia by about 17 per cent thanks to an ingredient, called an adjuvant, added to boost the jab’s effectiveness.
Ensure you have a hearing test
Worrying evidence suggests being unable to hear properly heightens the risk of dementia. A 2024 study, published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, with more than 573,000 people found those with hearin loss were, on average, 7 per cent more likely to also develop dementia.
Some other studies put the risk as high as 22 per cent. When we struggle to hear, the brain isn’t ‘worked’ as hard, leading to a loss of neural connections and cognitive decline, says Professor Morgan.
…and get your eyes checked, too
Research shows that people with uncorrected vision loss are 50 per cent more likely to develop dementia than those with good vision, or who wear glasses or contact lenses to correct their sight, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Meanwhile, surgery for cataracts (where the clear lens in the eye becomes cloudy because of ageing) can reduce the risk by up to 30 per cent.
When our vision starts to deteriorate, the brain receives less sensory input, which may accelerate cognitive decline because of reduced mental stimulation.
It may also stop many older people from venturing out to see family or friends – adding to social isolation.
Pumping iron can boost memory
Aerobic exercise – anything that gets the heart rate up and blood pumping to the brain – is known to protect against dementia, possibly by reducing inflammation and stimulating the production of growth factors essential for healthy brain cells.
But could regular weight training also be crucial?
A 2025 study of older people with mild cognitive impairment (often a precursor to dementia) found those who added strength training – boosting the hamstrings, the quadricep muscles in the thighs, chest muscles and biceps – twice a week to their exercise routine had better memory and recall after six months than those who didn’t.
The researchers from the State University of Campinas in Brazil said scans showed strength training reduced shrinkage in areas of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s.
