Improving air quality may reduce dementia risk in older women - NewsTVPK - Latest Pakistan News, World News, Business and Sports

Improving air quality appears to be slowing cognitive decline and reducing the risk of developing dementia in older women living in the United States, according to a new study by researchers at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Their research was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Research has shown that exposure to air pollution later in life is linked to a higher risk of developing dementia, but it is unknown at this time how improving air quality will affect brain health.

Our study is important because it is one of the first to show that reducing air pollution over time can benefit the brain health of older women by decreasing their likelihood of developing dementia. The message is that reducing air pollution can lead to healthier brain aging. “

Xinhui Wang, PhD, Senior Author and Assistant Professor of Research Neurology at USC’s Keck School of Medicine

The link between air quality and brain health

Using data from the National Institutes of Health-funded Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study Epidemiology of Cognitive Health Outcomes (WHIMS-ECHO), researchers analyzed the link between reductions in air pollution and the development of dementia among women aged 74 to 92 years.

The women who did not have dementia at the beginning of the study received annual tests of cognitive function from 2008 to 2018 to determine if they had developed dementia. Using participants ’home addresses, the study group created mathematical models to estimate air pollution levels at these locations over time.

Among women living in areas with the largest reductions in two types of air pollutants -; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and the traffic-related pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) -; the risk of dementia decreased by 14% and 26%, respectively. The benefit of lower air pollution was consistent despite differences between study participants in age, geographic area, socioeconomic background, cardiovascular risk factors, and Apolipoprotein E genotype.

“Our results show that the benefits may be universal in older women, even those already at higher risk for dementia,” Wang said.

Additional benefits of improved air quality

Improvements in air quality have also been associated with benefits to overall cognitive function and memory, suggesting a positive effect on multiple underlying brain regions.

Dementia, which disproportionately affects women, is not only devastating for patients and their families – it is also one of the most expensive chronic diseases in the United States. 2010 and is expected to double by 2040.

“Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are extremely costly for both the health care system and for families struggling to care for their older members,” said Diana Younan, PhD, a former senior research fellow in the Department of Population and Public. Health sciences and the other lead author of the study. “Our research suggests that tightening air quality standards may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia in older women and, in turn, reduce its social burden.”