Racial discrimination and its associated stress may increase dementia risk among Black Americans, new research suggests.
Alzheimer's affects roughly 5.8 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The progressive disease is the most common form of dementia and is associated with memory loss and cognitive decline in regions of the brain involved in thought, memory and language.
Scientists believe that Alzheimer's is caused by the abnormal buildup of proteins in and around the brain cells, although exactly what triggers this build-up is still unclear.
What we do know is that our risk of developing Alzheimer's is dependent on a range of genetic and environmental factors. Certain demographics are also more likely to develop the disease. For example, according to the American Alzheimer's Association, women over 60 are roughly twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's compared to men.
The same data shows that older Black Americans are also about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's or other dementias compared to older white Americans.
"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," Michelle Mielke, a professor of epidemiology and prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said in a statement.
Mielke added that these racial disparities in dementia risk cannot be attributed to genetic differences alone.
In a new study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, Mielke and colleagues analyzed data from a 17-year health study to determine whether experiences of racial discrimination were associated with increases of blood biomarkers for Alzheimer's and neurodegeneration.
The study, called the Family and Community Health Study, was initiated in 1996 and included data from more than 800 families across America, including 255 Black Americans. The study data included blood samples as well as interviews about discriminatory events, including receiving racial slurs, being excluded from social activities and being treated disrespectfully by store owners, salespeople and police officers.
"We found no correlations between racial discrimination and increased levels of the serum biomarkers in 2008 [...] when participants were a mean age of 46 years," Ronald Simons, a professor of sociology at the University of Georgia and co-corresponding author of the study, said in a statement. "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 [biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's and neurodegeneration.]"
Of course, these findings are based on observational data and more research is needed to unravel the biochemical mechanisms behind this association. Even so, these results should raise important questions about the long-term health impacts of racial discrimination.
"These findings provide evidence that the chronic stress of racial discrimination often encountered by Black Americans in midlife become[s] biologically embedded and contribute[s] to Alzheimer's disease pathology and neurodegeneration later in life," Mielke said. "This research can help inform policies and interventions to reduce racial disparities and reduce dementia risk."
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