There is robust and increasing evidence that a variety of lifestyle interventions and behavioural changes can play a significant role in maintaining cognition and function, as well as delaying the onset of dementia.

With modifiable factors accounting for more than 40% of the risk for dementia, the adoption of behaviors to monitor and treat factors such as hypertension, elevated cholesterol and smoking, is likely to bring benefit to time of onset and rate of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease.

Randomized clinical trial evidence has suggested that straightforward interventions such as physical exercise, cognitive training and multi-faceted interventions combining lifestyle elements confer significant benefits in maintaining cognition and function in mid and  later life. Importantly, engagement with these interventions in the context of clinical trials has been good, giving potential to expand these as public health interventions – especially those elements such as cognitive training which have been effectively delivered using digital platforms (see Resources - Lifestyle interventions).