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

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

1) Smoking

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.

2) Eating red meat

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,

those aged 70 to 79,

people aged 18 and over with a severely weakened immune system.

4) Sleeping more or less than eight hours a night

Though you might (correctly) associate poor sleep with increased dementia risk, experts think kipping for too long could raise our likelihood of developing the condition too.

Generally, sleeping between seven to eight hours a night seems to be the “sweet spot”. However, we still don’t know for sure in which direction this relationship flows – researchers think the link between non-standard sleep and dementia risk might be bidirectional, or a “vicious cycle”.

5) Leaving high blood pressure untreated

High blood pressure is sometimes called a “silent killer” because it often has no symptoms. But leaving it untreated can lead to an increased risk of stroke, heart issues, and – you guessed it – dementia.

Studies have found that older adults with untreated high blood pressure developed Alzheimer’s 36% more often than those with normal blood pressure, and 42% more often than those with treated high blood pressure.

Fortunately, in the same study, the paper’s co-author, Dr. Matthew J. Lennon, said: “Our meta-analysis that included people from around the world found that taking blood pressure medications [if needed] was associated with decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease throughout later life.”

Some research has even suggested certain blood pressure medications offer the brain protective benefits against the condition, outside of keeping our blood pressure within a healthy range.

Seven factors associated with a lower dementia risk

1) Eating eggs

Yup, really. While we can’t say that eating eggs definitely causes our risk to plummet, studies have associatednever doing so with a higher dementia risk.

A separate paper suggested that “frequent egg consumption is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s dementia and [Alzheimer’s disease] pathology, and the association with Alzheimer’s dementia is partially mediated through dietary choline”.

Choline, a nutrient present in egg yolks, has been associated with lower anxiety, too. It has been described as “underconsumed and underappreciated” by researchers, who say that about 90% of the US population is “well below the [adequate intake levels] for choline”.

2) Hanging out

Research from scientists at the Rush University Medical Center suggests that staying social may delay dementia diagnosis by up to five years and could even cut dementia risk by 38%.

And the Alzheimer’s Society goes even further: they say that social isolation “can increase a person’s risk of dementia by about 60%”.

3) Exercising

As few as 3,800 steps a day have been linked to a 25% lower dementia risk compared to those who are physically inactive.

But roughly 7,000 daily steps at a brisk pace seem to offer the best results.

It doesn’t need to be walking specifically, though – sticking to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate activity, 75 minutes of intense exercise, or a combination of both appears protective against dementia.

4) Reading

A 14-year longitudinal study found “a reduced risk of cognitive decline” among people who read more frequently.

And while more reading seemed to be better here, scientists speculated that “those with reading habits may read more than an hour a day” and read twice or more a week.

5) Getting at least 42 minutes of daylight

Researchers have looked at a possible link between dementia risk and our circadian rhythm, or body clock, in the past. But this usually focuses on our sleep and wake patterns. However, a more recent study looked at how daylight exposure seemed to affect our brains.