Racial Discrimination Could Boost Alzheimer's Risk Among Black Americans, Study Suggests

According to a new study, racism and the stress that comes with it could boost dementia risk for Black Americans.

Alzheimer's Disease

Known to be the most common type of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is a progressive condition that starts with mild memory loss. It may lead to losing the ability to converse and respond to the environment. The condition mainly affects brain areas that manage language, memory, and thought.

The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease remains a long-standing mystery. Rather than having a single cause, Alzheimer's disease appears to result from different factors that may impact a person differently. Known risk factors for Alzheimer's include age, family history, brain changes, and lifestyle behaviors linked to cognitive decline.

Racism and Dementia Risk

What is known about Alzheimer's risk is that it depends on various environmental and genetic factors. Specific demographics have exhibited a higher likelihood of developing the condition. For instance, the American Alzheimer's Association notes that women over 60 years of age have roughly double the possibility of developing Alzheimer's disease compared to their male counterparts.

The data also reveals that older Black Americans have roughly twice the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's or other types of dementia compared to their older white American counterparts.

Michelle Mielke, an epidemiology and prevention professor at the School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, explains that it is known that Black Americans have a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. However, the factors that affect such disproportionate risks remain unclear. Mielke explains that such racial disparities when it comes to dementia risk cannot entirely be attributed to genetics.

As part of a new study entitled "Racial discrimination during middle age predicts higher serum phosphorylated tau and neurofilament light chain levels a decade later: A study of aging black Americans," the team of Mielke looked into the data of a 17-year health study to see if racial discrimination experiences were linked to rises in blood biomarkers for neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease.

The 17-year Family and Community Health Study started in 1996 and covered data from over 800 families throughout America. Daya includes those of 255 Black Americans. It also included blood samples and even interviews regarding events of discrimination.

Ronald Simons, a sociology professor at the University of Georgia and a corresponding author of the study, explains that they did not see any correlation between racial discrimination and elevated serum biomarkers in 2008. However, after 11 years, when participants were around 57 years of age, the researchers discovered that heightened discrimination during middle age was significantly associated with higher levels of biomarkers linked to neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's.

However, such findings are grounded on observational data. Further research is necessary to delve deeper into the biochemical mechanisms involved in the link.

Nevertheless, the study should raise questions regarding the chronic health effects of racial discrimination. Mielke explains that the findings serve as evidence that racial discrimination's chronic stress that Black Americans may encounter in midlife becomes embedded biologically and could contribute to the disease pathology of neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's later. The study could aid in informing interventions and policies for decreasing racial disparities and dementia risk.

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