Suffering racial discrimination in midlife 'could cause Alzheimer's'

10 April 2024 , 13:17

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It's not just genetics that leads to a risk of Alzheimer's but exposure to racism, according to the study [file image]

Suffering racial discrimination in midlife could cause Alzheimer's, according to a new study.

It is thought that stress brought on by being subjected to racial abuse could be behind the findings. Scientists stress that they have only established a link and they cannot definitively say that one causes the other. The team from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Georgia used 17 years of data from 255 black Americans for the study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

They concluded that it was not just genetics that led to a risk of the disease but exposure to racism and its associated stress may also increase the risk of dementia. Dr Michelle Mielke, professor of epidemiology at Wake Forest, said: "We know that black Americans are at an elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias compared to non-Hispanic white Americans but we don't fully understand all the factors that contribute to this disproportionate risk."

Researchers analysed biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. To measure racial discrimination the team surveyed individuals about discriminatory events they experienced such disrespectful treatment by store owners, salespeople or police officers, being called racial slurs, being excluded from social activities, and not being expected to do well because of being a black American.

Dr Ronald Simons, professor of sociology at the University of Georgia said: "We found no correlations between racial discrimination and increased levels of the serum biomarkers in 2008 at Wave 5 when participants were a mean age of 46 years. However, 11 years later when the study participants were roughly 57 years old, we found that increased discrimination during middle age significantly correlated with higher levels of both p-Tau181 and NfL."

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Prof Mielke added: "These findings provide evidence that the chronic stress of racial discrimination often encountered by black Americans in midlife become biologically embedded and contribute to Alzheimer's disease pathology and neurodegeneration later in life. This research can help inform policies and interventions to reduce racial disparities and reduce dementia risk."

Jim Leffman