Researchers from NYU Langone Health found that Americans older than 55 have a 42% risk of developing dementia — nearly twice as much as previous estimates. The study reported an anticipated 1 million new annual cases by 2060, with rates among white adults projected to double and rates among Black adults projected to triple.
According to the Jan. 13 study, the rise in dementia cases can be attributed to an aging population, genetic predispositions and lifestyle factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diets and lack of exercise. NYU Langone researchers suggest that women have a 48% chance of developing dementia, while men have a 35% chance — primarily due to women’s longer projected life spans.
Jordan Weiss, an assistant professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and one of the study’s lead researchers, said the results reflected a more holistic approach to evaluate patients’ cognitive aptness over a 30-year period. Weiss said that experts considered racial disparities, inaccessibility to education and other socioeconomic barriers to health care in their methodology to achieve an accurate estimate.
“It’s widely known that Black adults face higher dementia risk, likely due to structural inequalities,” Weiss said in an interview with WSN. “Black adults tend to have experienced higher levels of chronic stress over their life course due to systemic racism and discrimination, which have long-term impacts on brain and physical health.”
Earlier findings underestimated the prevalence of dementia in minority groups because many individuals’ cases went unreported, especially for early-stage cases. Weiss said that the ongoing Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study — a government-funded project researching heart health in African Americans — has been pivotal in providing more accurate data on the development of dementia. The ARIC study has tracked vascular health and cognitive function of nearly 16,000 participants since 1987.
The researchers also found that measures to prevent heart disease — such as managing blood pressure, controlling diabetes and promoting healthy diets — could significantly reduce rates of dementia. Addressing hearing loss among older adults could also help reduce the risk, as several studies have linked untreated hearing loss to cognitive decline.
Josef Coresh — the founding director of the Optimal Aging Institute at the medical school and another author of the study — said experts will focus future studies on late-life dementia, as there is less research that focuses on individuals after the age of 85.
“The evidence is clear now that early life development of the brain creates cognitive reserves that reduce the risk of dementia in late life many decades later,” Coresh said in a statement to WSN. “We are all at significant risk but have time to act.”
Contact Amelia Hernandez Gioia at [email protected].
June Stacey-Clemons • Jan 28, 2025 at 2:11 pm
Excellent article. Take care of your brains and bodies.