Longevity & Aging

Your Country Shapes Your Dementia Risk More Than You Think

A landmark USC-led study of over 214,000 older adults across 14 countries found that the leading preventable causes of dementia differ significantly depending on where you live. Low education is a dominant risk factor in China, while high BMI is far more prevalent in the United States. Despite these differences, researchers discovered consistent patterns — cardiovascular risks like high cholesterol and hypertension tend to cluster together globally, as do lifestyle factors like smoking and alcohol use. Published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, the findings challenge the idea of a universal dementia prevention strategy and suggest that targeted, country-specific public health interventions may be far more effective than broad one-size-fits-all approaches.