New research findings published in the *NEJM* indicate that the risk of dementia has been decreasing over the past three decades for Americans with at least a high school education. Some connect this trend to the adoption of healthier lifestyles. Others worry that increasing rates of obesity and diabetes may offset factors leading to this downward trend. Kenneth Langa, whose recent work also saw a declining prevalence of dementia in the US, says these new findings underscore that “even without a big breakthrough in medication or a vaccine that would stop the Alzheimer’s process, we can do things that lower the risk of dementia long-term.”

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