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The episode also uses the Lancet Commission 2024 update as a hopeful frame: a substantial proportion of dementia cases may be delayed or prevented at a population level by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors across the lifespan (including untreated vision loss and high LDL cholesterol, newly added in 2024).
The Lancet Commission’s estimate is about population attributable risk: what could happen if a whole community reduced certain risks. It is not a personal scorecard, and it should never be used for blame or shame.
The Lancet Commission groups risk factors across life stages, and the 2024 update expanded the list from 12 to 14, adding untreated vision loss and high LDL cholesterol.
Early life
1. Less education
Midlife
2. Hearing loss
3. Depression
4. Traumatic brain injury (head injury)
5. Physical inactivity
6. Diabetes
7. Smoking
8. Hypertension
9. Obesity
10. Excess alcohol use
11. High LDL cholesterol (new in 2024)
Late life
12. Infrequent social contact / social isolation
13. Air pollution
14. Untreated vision loss (new in 2024)
Key point: these percentages and estimates describe what might shift at the population level, not your individual fate.
Untreated hearing loss can reduce conversation quality, increase effortful listening, and contribute to withdrawal from social connections—one of the pathways researchers discuss in dementia risk models.
Practical steps mentioned
Resource mentioned
Vision problems are not only about “seeing clearly.” Under-corrected vision can increase cognitive burden and reduce confidence with reading, driving, and social engagement. The Lancet Commission 2024 identifies untreated vision loss as a modifiable risk factor for dementia.
Practical steps mentioned
Smell is tightly linked with memory and emotion. Reduced smell has been studied as a possible early signal in some neurodegenerative conditions, and the episode discusses practical ways to pay attention without catastrophizing.
Habit idea discussed
A concussion can occur without loss of consciousness. The episode highlights the importance of paying attention to changes in thinking or mood after a head injury and seeking appropriate assessment and follow-up.
Rather than relying on big exercise goals, the episode discusses practical ways to reduce long periods of uninterrupted sitting and add movement into ordinary daily life (calls, meetings, TV time, short breaks). This can be adapted for different abilities and mobility levels.
A core behaviour-design theme in this episode: do not start with the hardest change or with “stopping.” Start with a clear, small action that increases the chance of follow-through, and attach it to something already happening in your day (a reliable routine or context).
Examples mentioned:
00:00: Can We Prevent 45% of Dementia? Making Sense of the 14 Factors 03:21: Dementia Risk Factors Across Life and What Those Percentages Mean 06:41: From Research to Real Life 21:41: Brain Health Basics 30:09: Simple ways to cut sitting and boost connection 39:37: Tiny Habits for Brain Health 42:02: Start Small 43:09: Start Easy, Build Momentum—Coaching and Show Notes
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