New Delhi: Earlier onset of diabetes, hearing loss, physical inactivity and undernutrition are among the critical and modifiable risk factors for dementia in India, according to a study that reviewed 25 years of research on dementia prevalence and risk factors.
Researchers, led by scientists at Rutgers University in the US, reviewed studies conducted among the Indian population between 2000 and 2025 to assess the current state of dementia research in the country.
The researchers found that, similar to Western countries, dementia is more common among women in India.
The prevalence was also higher among people living in rural areas, most likely because of underdiagnosis of risk factors associated with dementia, they said.
The findings from the reviewed studies were compared with the 14 modifiable dementia risk factors identified by the 2024 Lancet Commission.
The commission had estimated that addressing these risk factors could prevent or delay nearly half of all dementia cases.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, found that metabolic and vascular conditions play a key role in increasing dementia risk during midlife among Indians.
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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 globally in the number of people living with diabetes, after China and Pakistan.
Hearing loss, which affects 41 per cent of adults in India, was associated with a 59 per cent higher risk of dementia and nearly double the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers also found that even 35 minutes of physical activity per week is associated with a 41 per cent lower risk of dementia. However, more than half of Indian adults (57 per cent) do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity.
Unlike many Western countries, where excess body weight is a major concern, the researchers found that being underweight and undernourished also appears to increase dementia risk in India.
Limited education and vision impairment were identified as additional risk factors.
Limited education accounts for 22 per cent of modifiable dementia risk in India, compared with 8 per cent globally. Untreated vision impairment is estimated to account for 14 per cent of dementia cases in the country.
The findings lay the foundation for the South Asian Middle Age Risk Tracking for Brain Health (SAMARTH) study at Rutgers University, the first US research initiative dedicated to tracking brain health among South Asian Americans and identifying modifiable risk and protective factors for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
The researchers said long-term longitudinal studies are urgently needed to better identify modifiable risk and protective factors for dementia in the Indian population.
