<img src="https://healthylife7.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aol_medicalnewstoday_320-5.png” alt=”MedicalNewsToday”>Tim Newman
Fri, July 17, 2026 at 12:08 PM UTC
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a second edition of its guidelines on reducing the risk of dementia and cognitive decline
According to the authors, up to 45% of dementia cases globally could be delayed or even prevented
The guidelines are based on a synthesis of the latest available evidence, and the WHO hopes the information will help individuals and the medical profession reduce the burden of dementia in the future
On July 15, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its updated guidance on reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The report updates and adds to the first of these guidelines published in 2019
“We know more today than ever before about what drives dementia risk, and these guidelines translate that knowledge into action,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said in a press release
“Countries now have clear, evidence-based recommendations they can put into practice immediately to protect people’s cognitive health,” added Dr. Tedros
Report highlights actionable strategies to halt dementia
Globally, dementia affects more than 57 million people. Due to a range of factors, each year, that number climbs higher, especially in low-and middle-income countries.
The search for a cure for dementia is ongoing, but, according to the WHO, almost half — up to 45% — of all dementia cases are linked to modifiable risk factors; in other words, factors under our individual control
Importantly, many of these factors are also shared with a wide range of chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Tackling these on a global level would, therefore, bring more healthy years to billions of people
The WHO guidelines group the interventions into four groups:
interventions promoting healthy behaviours
interventions to manage physical health conditions or biological states that constitute a dementia risk
interventions addressing environmental risk factors
interventions targeting multiple risk factors
How to reduce dementia risk: Healthy behaviors
Healthy behaviors refer to cognitive, social, and physical activity, alcohol use, tobacco use, and nutrition
Cognitive activity
New WHO recommendation:“To reduce the risk of cognitive decline and/or dementia specifically, engagement in cognitive stimulation may be encouraged.”
The report explains that people who have achieved higher levels of education and have more complex jobs generally have a lower risk of dementia. This is likely due to the protective effects of “enhanced cognitive reserve.”
cognitive training
cognitive stimulation interventions, such as tabletop games
cognitively stimulating activities, like reading or playing musical instruments
Medical News Today spoke to Ryuta Kawashima, MD a professor in the Department of Functional Brain Imaging at Tohoku University, Japan, who was not involved in the WHO report.
Kawashima explained that the new “guidelines confirm that keeping the brain actively engaged is not optional, something my colleagues and I have long argued.”
What might this mean in practical terms? According to the expert: “Everyday activities like reading aloud, storytelling, and playing games can accomplish this. You do not need a laboratory or a device. You merely need consistency, challenge, and curiosity to keep your brain sharp.”
Social activity
Updated WHO recommendation:“To reduce the risk of cognitive decline and/or dementia specifically, engagement in social activity interventions may be recommended to adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment.”
The report authors write that around one in four older people feel isolated
If we could eliminate loneliness, they estimate that about 5% of dementia cases could be prevented. They write that engaging in social interactions can slow cognitive decline by building a greater cognitive reserve
This might simply mean phoning friends, meeting friends for lunch, engaging in community-based activities, or joining clubs
Physical activity
Validated WHO recommendation:“To reduce the risk of cognitive decline specifically, physical activity should be recommended to adults with normal cognition.”
The guidelines explain that staying active is linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive decline, and all-cause dementia. This effect is most pronounced, they explain, when continued for long durations at high intensity
Being active both reduces risk and helps reduce symptoms in people who already have cognitive decline or dementia
Reduce alcohol use
Validated WHO recommendation: “To reduce the risk of cognitive decline and/or dementia specifically, interventions aimed at reducing or ceasing hazardous and harmful drinking (including providing support to people with alcohol dependence) may be offered to adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment.”
The report explains how alcohol use is responsible for 2.6 million deaths globally each year, and is causally linked to more than 200 health conditions, including cognitive decline and dementia
If alcohol were removed from society, they estimate that it would prevent 1% of total dementia cases.
Additionally, they provide evidence that abstaining from alcohol for 6–12 months can improve cognitive function and that “reducing alcohol consumption from heavy to moderate levels may be associated with a decreased risk of dementia.”
Smoking cessation
Validated WHO recommendation:“To reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia specifically, interventions for tobacco cessation should be offered to adults who use tobacco.”
The authors write that tobacco use is still a leading cause of preventable death, and smoking during middle life is more closely associated with dementia risk than smoking during old age
A healthy, balanced diet
Updated WHO recommendation:“To reduce the risk of cognitive decline and/or dementia specifically, a healthy, balanced dietary pattern may be recommended to adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment.”
The report also recommends against taking vitamin B, vitamin E, omega-3, or multivitamin and mineral supplements unless the individual has a deficiency. This is due to a lack of evidence and “unexpected harmful effects.”
A healthy diet, according to the report’s authors, needs to:
Advertisement
provide enough essential nutrients
provide a balanced energy intake and energy
be diverse, including a wide variety of nutritious foods within and across food groups
be moderate when it comes to foods or nutrients that might harm health
They explain that certain diets — such as theMediterranean diet, the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) — are associated with positive cognitive outcomes
They suggest that a well-rounded, healthy diet is better than supplementation, potentially due to its antioxidant and inflammatory properties
It might also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and obesity, both of which are linked to poorer health outcomes
How to reduce dementia risk: Managing existing conditions
The authors of the WHO report further outline the importance of managing existing disease states that are associated with dementia and cognitive decline. Additionally, certain biological states are also important
The specific conditions and states are:
obesity — they recommend dietary restriction interventions to adults who have overweight or obesity
diabetes —people with type 2 diabetes have a 50–100% increased risk of developing dementia compared with those who do not
hypertension — high blood pressure is a long-established risk factor for dementia
dyslipidemia (imbalance of blood fats) — using statins to reduce blood cholesterol levels and inflammation may protect against dementia; the report also suggests reducing cholesterol intake and animal products
hearing loss — around one in five adults experiences hearing loss to some degree, which often goes undiagnosed, and is also closely linked to cognitive decline and dementia
Reducing hearing loss to zero, the authors state, could reduce dementia cases worldwide by 7%. They write that “observational data suggest that hearing aid use may be associated with a reduced risk of dementia.”
The authors also investigated other factors, but concluded that, as it stands, the evidence of their role in dementia and cognitive decline is not yet strong enough. These are
What role does sleep quality play in dementia prevention?
MNT reached out to David Perlmutter, MD, a board-certified neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, who was not involved in the report. Perlmutter was surprised that the evidence for sleep as a risk factor was not yet strong enough
This is because “the report acknowledges that insomnia, sleep apnea, poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, and both very short and very long sleep duration are all linked to increased dementia risk,” he noted
MNT also contacted John La Puma, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician, who was likewise not involved in the report and was also surprised by what he sees as an omission.
In La Puma’s opinion, “they found ‘insufficient evidence’ to recommend specific sleep interventions, and missed the most important controllable factor for brain health: Natural light at the right time and dose.”
“New data published in June show lower dementia risk with adequate daytime light exposure,” he told us
However, Perlmutter believes that “this reflects the extraordinarily high evidentiary standard the WHO applies.”
Environmental risk factors for dementia
Air pollution
New WHO recommendations: “Reducing exposure to ambient air pollution (especially PM2.5) may reduce the risk or incidence of cognitive decline and/or dementia,” and “Reducing exposure to household air pollution may reduce the risk or incidence of cognitive decline and/or dementia.”
PM2.5 refers to microscopic droplets or particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, which is about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair
Some of the most important
vehicle emissions
industrial pollution
wildfires
domestic wood burning
These minuscule pollutants are associated with a wide range of health conditions, including cognitive decline and dementia
The authors explain that these particles may cross the blood-brain barrier, causing inflammation, oxidative stress, and, consequently, neurodegeneration
Dementia: Shift toward personalized interventions
Multidomain interventions
New WHO recommendation: “To reduce the risk of cognitive decline and/or dementia specifically, tailored, multidomain interventions may be offered.”
“Multidomain” means targeting multiple risk factors at once, and “tailored” in this context means customizing interventions to suit the specific needs of a population
An example of how these approaches can be successful was recently published in The Lancet. The study recruited at-risk older adults in Latin America
Their 2-year multidomain intervention involved supervised exercise classes 4 days each week based on local dances like the tango and salsa, and personalized dietary advice based on foods that were accessible and affordable in the local area
Individuals who took part in this scheme had significant cognitive benefits compared with the control group, who just attended four 1-hour meetings across the 2-year study
What does it all mean?
Perlmutter outlined how the report differs from the 2019 version. He explained that:
“The addition of air pollution is probably the most notable new recommendation, reflecting a growing body of evidence that fine particulate matter, especially PM2.5, promotes neuroinflammation and may contribute directly to neurodegeneration.”
However, Perlmutter told us that “the overall message remains remarkably consistent: The greatest opportunity to reduce dementia risk comes from addressing modifiable lifestyle and vascular risk factors long before symptoms appear.”
The main difference, he toldMNT, is that the evidence base is now much stronger. He is also pleased to see the endorsement of multidomain interventions, which he believes can be very effective
“The real message of these updated WHO guidelines is actually quite reassuring,” said Perlmutter
Reflecting on where individuals can start when it comes to lowering their dementia risk, he advised: “Start with the fundamentals. Build a lifestyle that keeps metabolism healthy, prioritize regular physical activity, eat in a way that controls blood sugar and reduces inflammation, make restorative sleep a priority, remain socially connected and mentally engaged, and minimize avoidable exposures such as smoking and air pollution.”
Kawashima further advised: “Start by doing something cognitively demanding for a few minutes every day. Read aloud. Do simple arithmetic quickly. Learn something new, like a language or a musical instrument.”
Finally, La Puma puts it simply: “Modern life has stolen our cognitive resilience. We need to be purposeful to prevent dementia, and we can be.”
View the original article on Medical News Today
