Can dementia be prevented? Experts say yes – here's how to protect your brain

IMAGINE waking up one morning and forgetting the route to your favourite coffee shop. Or struggling to remember the name of someone you love.

- VUYILE MADWANTSI

It's a frightening thought, but for millions worldwide, it’s a daily reality called dementia. Following World Brain Day, marked yesterday, experts are urging all of us to rethink what we know about brain health.

Forget the myth that dementia is simply an inevitable part of getting older.

According to Dr Patty Francis, the president of the Neurological Association of South Africa (NASA), dementia is increasingly the result of decades of exposure to risk factors we can do something about.

“Dementia doesn't just arrive overnight,’ says Francis. “It’s often rooted in unmanaged issues like high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, depression, diabetes and even chronic stress starting as early as our 30s.”

The statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) make it clear why this matters. Right now, around 57 million people live with dementia globally.

By 2030, this number could jump to 78 million, and by 2050, a staggering 153 million. Sub-Saharan Africa, already facing high rates of HIV and stroke (both linked to dementia), is expected to see cases rise from 2.13 million to over 7.6 million in just 25 years.

Yet experts say up to 45% of dementia cases could be prevented by making changes we often underestimate, from staying socially connected to managing medical conditions. Your everyday choices shape your future brain health.