5 Habits That May Raise Your Dementia Risk, And 7 That Could Lower It

As much as 45% of our dementia risk is “potentially modifiable”.

Whether or not we develop dementia is not fully in our control. But according to a standing commission from The Lancet, as much as 45% of dementia risk could be down to “potentially modifiable” lifestyle factors.

So, which of these might make our odds higher – and which might lower them?

Five habits that may raise dementia risk

One study found that current smokers had a 31% higher dementia risk, especially for vascular dementia.

However, former smokers didn’t see that elevated risk, except for male ex-smokers, who were slightly more likely to develop vascular dementia.

Some researchers think smoking could contribute to as much as 14% of dementia cases worldwide.

The more red meat, especially processed red meat, that participants in a 2025 study ate, the higher their dementia risk seemed to be – and the lower their cognition scores became.

“Reducing red meat consumption could be included in dietary guidelines to promote cognitive health,” the study authors concluded.

3) Avoiding the shingles vaccine in older age

As many as one in three over-50s are expected to develop shingles in their lifetime, but only an estimated 8% of older Europeans are vaccinated against the viral infection.

However, some research suggests doing so could protect against dementia, potentially lowering risk by as much as 16%.

The NHS offers shingles vaccines to:

all adults turning 65,

people aged 18 and over........

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