New Delhi, May 16 -- More than 60 million people are estimated to be living with dementia, resulting in over 1.5 million deaths a year and an annual cost to the global healthcare economy of around $1.3 trillion (almost £1 trillion).

Despite decades of scientific research and billions of pounds of investment, dementia still has no cure. But what of the old saying that prevention is better than cure? Is preventing dementia possible? And if so, at what age should we be taking steps to do so?

Despite what many believe, dementia is not simply an unavoidable consequence of ageing or genetics. It is estimated that up to 45 per cent of dementia cases could potentially be prevented by reducing exposure to 14 modifiable risk factors common ...