DEMENTIA is a modern scourge of the elderly and offers genuine fear for anyone approaching older years.

There are 850,000 people in the UK currently living with dementia – which covers different brain disorders that trigger loss of brain function – set to rise to over a million by 2025.

Now, scientists say that one in three cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes to reduce nine risk factors including obesity, smoking and high blood pressure.

In other words, it’s up to us to influence our future health. This is the first time scientists have outlined prevention in this way and it puts the ball firmly back in our court.

Dementia is one of the main causes of disability in later life, ahead of cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke. It’s up to us to decide whether to have a better old age by living healthier, more active lifestyles. So let’s do it.