There’s an old, yet deeply mistaken, idea that brain decline is an inexorable process, a toll paid for aging. Yet the most recent evidence has shattered this conviction, delivering a proactive message: brain health is built every day, at the table and through local policy choices.
With the signing of the protocol between SIN, Italian Red Cross, and Aletheia Foundation, last March 17 in the Senate, prevention moves out of specialist centers to become a capillary mission, capable of reaching every citizen thanks to the strength of volunteer work and the scientific solidity of the partners involved.
The Neurological Emergency in Numbers
The data sketch a critical scenario: according to the Global Status Report on Neurology from the WHO, neurological disorders are today the leading cause of poor health and disability worldwide.
In Italy the situation is particularly complex: the report The Prevalence of Dementia in Europe 2025 indicates that in our country more than 1,430,000 people live with dementia, a figure expected to approach 2.2 million by 2050. This data places Italy at the top of the European Union for incidence relative to the population.
However, science points to a path forward: addressing 14 modifiable risk factors – from hypertension to diabetes, from smoking to air pollution, up to social isolation and high LDL cholesterol – could reduce dementia risk by up to 45%. The same preventive approach based on lifestyle is equally crucial for Parkinson’s disease today.
An Alliance for National Prevention
To meet this challenge, the national campaign “Brain Health: Prevention, Policies, Prospects”, launched during Brain Awareness Week (March 16-22), aims to shift the paradigm.
Mario Zappia, president of SIN, explained the purpose of the initiative: “This protocol grows out of the desire to raise neurological prevention to the same level as what our country has already achieved for cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Together with the Italian Red Cross and the Aletheia Foundation we want to make this commitment a national priority.”
Health Begins at the Table: The Role of the Mediterranean Diet
A central pillar of the agreement concerns nutrition. While the consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to increased inflammation that promotes cognitive decline, the Mediterranean Diet acts as a “natural medicine.”
“The Mediterranean Diet represents a protective shield capable of reducing up to 30% the risks of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases,” stated Riccardo Fargione, director of the Aletheia Foundation.
Dr. Fargione emphasized the urgency of intervening early in schools: today the 50% of adolescents’ caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods. Feeding the brain properly essentially means slowing its biological clock.
Capillarity and Institutional Commitment
The alliance aims to leverage the Red Cross network to reach every community. Valerio Mogini, director of Social and Health Services for the Italian Red Cross, stressed: “It will be possible to promote increasingly impactful awareness campaigns, contributing to the protection of people’s health across the lifespan, including in terms of neurological health.”
On the political front, Senator Tilde Minasi, a member of the Senate Social Affairs Committee and organizer of the meeting, reiterated the need to govern the issue: “Neurological prevention must enter the institutions’ agenda as a stable priority, strengthening information, care pathways, and the proximity of services.”
A concept echoed by Giovanni Leonardi, head of the Department of the Ministry of Health, who highlighted the One Health approach.
From Institutions to the Field: A Fairness Challenge
The challenge launched in the Senate is not about the individual alone, but requires a shared political vision to close territorial inequalities.
In this sense, reforming DM77, strengthening telemedicine and home care, represents an opportunity to improve patient management and support caregivers, who are often left to shoulder the burden of degenerative diseases.
Towards a National Mobilization
Brain Week 2026 marks the beginning of a necessary national mobilization. In a aging society, protecting the brain through daily mindful choices is no longer merely a medical recommendation, but a social and political necessity to ensure the sustainability of the health system.
Investing today in information and lifestyle means protecting the very essence of our identity and our future.
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