Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A connection has been discovered between how much money you make and risk of developing dementia Later in life, researchers warned Wednesday.
A new analysis of more than 5,000 American adults shows that low-income people and those from minority groups are more likely to have risk factors related to life-threatening brain disorders. more than 7 million Americans,
Members of the American Academy of Neurology wrote that low income was associated with an increased likelihood of high blood pressure, hearing loss, depression, and a sedentary lifestyle.
The study also revealed that one in five cases of dementia among older people living below the poverty line may be related to vision loss and social isolation.
“Although our results are exploratory and do not show cause and effect, improving access to vision care and reducing social isolation among older adults could potentially have a large impact on people living below the poverty level,” Dr. Eric Stulberg of Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College explained in an article. statement,
Just over 11 percent of Americans were living in poverty in 2023, or about 37 million people, according to census data,
Even after taking into account differences in participants’ income, the researchers found that diabetes, obesity, vision loss and physical inactivity were still more strongly associated with historically underrepresented groups such as Black Americans, Mexican Americans and non-Mexican Hispanic Americans.
Black Americans are considered have a higher risk of dementia compared to other racial groups and researchers are working to understand why this is. Some recent studies have shown genes associated with african ancestry And high rates of hypertension , Potentially linked to a gene that makes people more sensitive to salt – Explanation as much as possible.
In particular, many risk factors for heart disease And dementia are similar, as are diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity and high blood pressure. There is even a link between depression and heart disease.
“We can say with certainty that depression and heart disease often co-occur,” Dr. Roy Ziegelstein, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said“About one in five heart attack victims has depression soon after the heart attack,”
Black Americans suffer from higher rates of heart disease than white Americans, and are 30 percent more likely to die from heart disease.
But racism, barriers to healthy diet, quality education and medical care, and environmental factors have also been identified Factors That Are Possibly Related,
The study evaluated participants — with data collected from 1999 to 2018 — for 13 risk factors: low education, alcohol use, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, social isolation, high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, diabetes, untreated high blood pressure and hearing loss, vision loss and if they had a traumatic brain injury.
The authors said that higher income — which was more than five times the highest federal poverty level — was associated with a lower prevalence of every dementia risk factor except obesity, high cholesterol and traumatic brain injury.
And, at least 20 percent of dementia cases could potentially be reduced if vision loss and social isolation were addressed.
Stulberg said, “Our results suggest that there may now be an opportunity to help people reduce their dementia risk factors, thereby reducing risk among low-income people and populations historically underrepresented in clinical studies, where our study shows that multiple risk factors are more prevalent.”
The number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is Estimated to double by 2060,
People Women above 75 years of age, And people with a genetic history are also considered to be at higher risk of dementia.
doctor says People can reduce their risk by reducing alcohol intake, staying mentally and physically active, stopping smoking, and protecting their head and eyesight. Environmental factors such as air pollution may also play a role.
“Maintaining a cognitively and physically active lifestyle and controlling risk factor levels medicinally, when necessary, is important for later-life brain health throughout one’s life.” Priya Paltasaid an assistant professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.