The researchers said longitudinal studies are urgently needed to identify modifiable risk and protective factors for dementia in the Indian population |Image used for representational purpose only
| Photo Credit: AP
An earlier onset of diabetes, hearing loss, physical inactivity and undernourishment are among the critical and modifiable risk factors for dementia in India, according to a study that reviewed 25 years of data on dementia prevalence and risk factors.
Researchers, led by those at the US’ Rutgers University, reviewed research conducted in the Indian population between 2000 and 2025 to assess the status of current research on dementia in India.
The researchers found that, as in Western countries, dementia is more common among women in India.
Prevalence in India was also higher among people in rural areas, most likely because of underdiagnosis of the risk factors contributing to dementia, they said.
Findings from the studies were weighed against 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia listed by the 2024 Lancet Commission.
Addressing these risk factors could prevent or delay the onset of dementia in nearly half the cases, the commission had said.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, found that metabolic and vascular risk factors play a key role in midlife dementia risk in Indians.
Diabetes, which South Asians tend to develop earlier in life and often at a normal body weight, can double or even triple the risk of dementia, the researchers said.
India ranks third in the world in absolute diabetes cases, alongside China and Pakistan.
Hearing loss, which affects 41 per cent of adults in India, was found to be linked to a 59 % higher risk for dementia and roughly double the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
On physical activity, despite the observation that as little as 35 minutes of physical activity a week is linked to a 41 per cent lower dementia risk, more than half of Indian adults (57 per cent) fall short of recommended activity levels, the team said.
They added that unlike Western nations, where excess weight drives much of the risk, in India, being underweight and undernourished also appears to increase the risk of developing dementia.
Limited education and vision impairment were other risk factors identified in the Indian population.
Limited education accounts for 22 per cent of modifiable dementia risk in India versus 8 % worldwide. While untreated vision loss accounts for an estimated 14 per cent of dementia cases in India.
The findings pave the way for the South Asian Middle Age Risk Tracking for Brain Health (SAMARTH) study at Rutgers University, the first research initiative in the US dedicated to tracking the brain health of South Asian Americans and identifying modifiable risks and protective factors for Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.
The researchers said longitudinal studies are urgently needed to identify modifiable risk and protective factors for dementia in the Indian population.
Published – July 30, 2026 05:56 pm IST