Hearing loss is the #1 modifiable risk factor for dementia.
If you’ve been putting off treating your hearing loss, science has a compelling reason to reconsider. The world’s most trusted dementia research — the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention — has consistently ranked untreated hearing loss as the #1 modifiable risk factor for dementia across every major report it has published.
What Is the Lancet Commission (and Why Should You Care)?
The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care is a global team of leading scientists who periodically publish landmark reports identifying which lifestyle and health factors are most linked to dementia — and, crucially, which ones you can actually do something about. With the research body maturing, the Commission published their first dementia report in 2017.
Their findings? Hearing loss tops the list, every single time.
%
Total Preventable Dementia Risk
%
Hearing Loss Related Risk
Risk Factor
How the Dementia Risk Rankings Have Evolved
2017: Hearing Loss Immediately Takes the Top Spot
In the Commission’s first report, they identified 9 modifiable risk factors for dementia and placed hearing loss at #1, attributing up to 9% of global dementia cases to it.
The takeaway is clear: caring of your hearing in midlife could be one of the most powerful things you do for your brain.
2020: The List Grows — Hearing Loss Still Reigns
By 2020, the Commission had expanded its list to 12 risk factors (adding air pollution, excessive alcohol use, and traumatic brain injury). Hearing loss held its ground at the top with a population-attributable fraction (PAF) of 8% — meaning up to 8% of all dementia cases worldwide could potentially be prevented just by addressing hearing loss.
Together, all 12 factors were estimated to prevent 40% of dementia cases globally.
2024: Hearing Loss Still Tops
The most recent 2024 report now lists 14 risk factors, with untreated vision loss and high LDL cholesterol joining the list for the first time. With the increased pool of modifiable risk factors, hearing loss remains the top modifiable factor for dementia.
The good news? The total preventable fraction rose to 45%, meaning nearly half of all future dementia cases could be avoided through lifestyle and health changes.
People spend their health to get wealth in the first half of their life, and spend their wealth to get health in the second. But you can prevent that.
What about Hearing Loss and Dementia in Canada?
When it comes to dementia risk, Canada isn’t just following global trends — in some ways, it’s exceeding them. Latest Canadian research confirms that hearing loss plays an even bigger role in dementia risk here than most developed country averages suggest.
In Canada, hearing loss contributes to 6.5% of dementia cases, which is more than the U.S. and some high-income countries.
What This Means for You
The science is consistent and the message is simple: getting your hearing checked and treated is one of the best investments you can make in your long-term brain health. Whether it’s a hearing aid, medical treatment, or simply reducing noise exposure, addressing hearing loss in your 40s, 50s, and 60s may significantly lower your dementia risk later in life.
You can’t change your age or your genes — but you can treat your hearing. And according to over a decade of Lancet research, that matters more than almost anything else.
Eason Pun, B.A., CDA, Reg. CDAAC
Marketing Coordinator, Communicative Disorders Assistant
Eason is a Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) who holds a unique role at the intersection of clinical healthcare and marketing at Toronto Hearing Services.
Focused on enhancing health literacy in hearing and speech, Eason combines clinical expertise with ethical marketing to create educational, evidence-based, and trust-driven content. His work bridges the gap between complex audiology and community understanding.
References:
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Liu, K. Y., Costafreda, S. G., Selbæk, G., Alladi, S., Ames, D., Banerjee, S., Burns, A., Brayne, C., Fox, N. C., Ferri, C. P., Gitlin, L. N., Howard, R., Kales, H. C., Kivimäki, M., Larson, E. B., Nakasujja, N., Rockwood, K., Samus, Q., … Mukadam, N. (2024). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission. Lancet (London, England), 404(10452), 572–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01296-0
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., Brayne, C., Burns, A., Cohen-Mansfield, J., Cooper, C., Costafreda, S. G., Dias, A., Fox, N., Gitlin, L. N., Howard, R., Kales, H. C., Kivimäki, M., Larson, E. B., Ogunniyi, A., … Mukadam, N. (2020). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. *The Lancet, 396*(10248), 413–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6
Livingston, G., Sommerlad, A., Orgeta, V., Costafreda, S. G., Huntley, J., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., Burns, A., Cohen-Mansfield, J., Cooper, C., Fox, N., Gitlin, L. N., Howard, R., Kales, H. C., Larson, E. B., Ritchie, K., Rockwood, K., Sampson, E. L., Samus, Q., … Mukadam, N. (2017). Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. Lancet (London, England), 390(10113), 2673–2734. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31363-6
Son, S., Speechley, M., Zou, G. Y., Kivipelto, M., Mangialasche, F., Feldman, H. H., Chertkow, H., Belleville, S., Nygaard, H., Hachinski, V., Pieruccini-Faria, F., & Montero-Odasso, M. (2024). Potentially Modifiable Dementia Risk Factors in Canada: An Analysis of Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging with a Multi-Country Comparison. The journal of prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, 11(5), 1490–1499. https://doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2024.105