People with high exposure to air pollution may be at increased risk of developing the disease. alzheimer’s diseaseaccording to a new study from Emory University in Atlanta.
Air pollution has long been established to be a risk factor not only for Alzheimer’s disease, but also for other chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, and depression, the researchers noted.
Because these other symptoms are themselves associated with Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers said it is still unclear whether air pollution harms brain health on its own or increases the risk of dementia by triggering other symptoms in the first place. health problems.
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The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, looked at more than 27.8 million U.S. Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older from 2000 to 2018.
Subjects were tested for exposure levels. air pollution Focus on other chronic diseases and whether you have developed Alzheimer’s disease.
Increased exposure to air pollution increased the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and people who had had a stroke had a slightly higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Hypertension and depression had “little additional effect,” according to the study’s press release.
The authors concluded that air pollution causes Alzheimer’s disease primarily through a “direct pathway” rather than through other chronic diseases.
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“Our findings show that people with the following symptoms: History of stroke “They may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of air pollution on brain health, highlighting an important intersection between environmental and vascular risk factors,” the authors said in a statement.
These findings suggest that improving air quality “may be an important way to prevent dementia and protect the body.” senior citizen” concludes the press release.
FOX News Senior Medical Analyst Dr. Mark Siegel acknowledged that further research has shown that Alzheimer’s disease is associated with symptoms such as: affect the braincan be “sensitive and fragile.”
“Certainly, underlying conditions such as stroke can cause this,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told FOX News Digital.
The latest study “does not show cause and effect,” the doctor said, but rather “demonstrates a growing link between air pollution and Alzheimer’s disease, with particulate matter increasing inflammation in the brain, which appears to be contributing to Alzheimer’s disease.”
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“This is another element for developing prevention, early diagnosis and treatment strategies. targeted therapy” Siegel added.
Dr. Ozama Ismail, director of scientific programs at the Alzheimer’s Association of Chicago, agreed that this study adds to existing research on air pollution and its effects. overall healthespecially related to the brain.
“This is an area of investigation where further research is essential to better understand the relationship between pollution and the various factors that cause or contribute to Alzheimer’s disease,” Ismail, who was also not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“Previous research, including studies presented at the 2019, 2021, and 2025 Alzheimer’s Association International Conferences, has shown evidence of an association between exposure to air pollution and other environmental toxins and health risks. Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. ”
Ismail said the Lancet Dementia Prevention Committee added exposure to air pollution to its list of known dementia risk factors in 2020.
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“We know that Alzheimer’s disease is a complex disease, and many factors are likely to work together to influence a person’s lifetime risk,” he said. “Avoiding exposure to air pollution is a risk factor that may be easier to change for some people than others.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the study authors for comment.
