Incidence of age-related dementia has decreased by half

Dementia risk decreases in newer generations: large-scale international study reveals encouraging trend

A revolutionary study conducted by scientists from the University of Queensland in collaboration with international experts has brought encouraging news: modern generations have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia in old age compared to their predecessors. A particularly notable decrease is observed among women. These important findings were published in the prestigious scientific journal Jama Network Open.

The large-scale analysis, covering more than 62,000 participants from the US, UK, and European countries, revealed impressive statistics: among people aged 81-85, dementia was diagnosed almost half as frequently in representatives of the 1939-1943 birth cohort (15.5%) compared to those born in 1890-1913 (25.1%).

Scientists attribute this positive decrease in incidence to a whole complex of factors: significant improvements in healthcare systems, expanded access to education, reduced prevalence of smoking, as well as progress in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Notably, researchers directly link the significant risk reduction in women to the expansion of educational opportunities that began in the middle of the last century.

Despite the optimistic results, specialists warn: the pace of progress may slow down in the future, as the main preventive measures have already been implemented, and upcoming generations will face new socio-economic and environmental challenges that could affect cognitive health.