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Younger generations less likely to have dementia, study suggests

Researchers say people born more recently, particularly women, have lower risk at same age as their grandparents

“Younger generations are less likely to develop dementia at the same age as their parents or grandparents, and that’s a hopeful sign,” said Dr Sabrina Lenzen, a co-author of the study from the University of Queensland’s Centre for the Business and Economics of Health. Prof Eric Brunner, of University College London, said it was important to look closely at recent trends and the impact of policies such as austerity, given other studies – including his own work relating to England and Wales – have suggested dementia incidence, in other words the rate of new cases, may no longer be declining. David Thomas, the head of policy and public affairs at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said evidence suggested nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 key risk factors – from smoking to air quality – although he noted not all were within individuals’ control.

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