New WHO Dementia Prevention Guidelines Put Brain Health in Focus
20 Jul 2026
The WHO has updated its dementia prevention guidelines for the first time in seven years. The new recommendations focus on practical steps that can reduce dementia risk throughout life, with a strong emphasis on early awareness and prevention in primary care.
The guidelines encourage GPs to discuss healthy lifestyle habits with patients long before symptoms appear. They recommend regular cognitive activities, mental stimulation, and social engagement for people with normal cognition as well as those with mild cognitive impairment.
The updated advice also supports increasing physical activity, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol intake, following a healthy diet, and reducing exposure to air pollution. These measures can lower the risk of dementia while also improving overall health.
Managing cardiometabolic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol remains a key part of reducing dementia risk. The WHO also recommends multidomain interventions that address several risk factors together rather than focusing on just one.
The guidelines advise against taking vitamin B, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, or multivitamin supplements specifically to prevent dementia, as current evidence does not support their use for this purpose.
For menopausal hormone therapy, the WHO states it should not be used to reduce dementia risk in women aged 65 years and older. For women under 65 years, there is currently not enough evidence to recommend for or against its use solely for dementia prevention.
According to the WHO, up to 45% of dementia cases are linked to modifiable risk factors, including smoking, physical inactivity, social isolation, air pollution, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The updated guidelines encourage a life-course approach, recognising that protecting brain health should begin early and continue throughout adulthood.
Australian experts say GPs play an important role in helping patients understand dementia risk and make healthy lifestyle changes. They also note that longer consultations are needed to support meaningful discussions about brain health and prevention.
New WHO Dementia Prevention Guidelines Put Brain Health in Focus
Source: World Health Organization (WHO), newsGP