WHO dementia guidelines highlight a lack of evidence for lifestyle interventions

People can reduce their risk of dementia by adapting their lifestyle—such as getting regular exercise, not smoking, and maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels—according to World Health Organisation guidelines.1

Researchers have criticised the guidance, however, saying there is a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of many of the recommendations on how to prevent cognitive decline and an absence of cost or benefit calculations.

The guidance, which brings together decades of research, outlines a number of recommendations and indicates the quality of evidence behind them.

It is targeted at healthcare providers and aims …