While it's still not completely clear what causes dementia, scientists find more and more things that increase risks significantly.
A new study published on IOS Press claims that air pollution might play a significant role in it.
Let's find out more.
The research
Researchers from the University of California San Diego published a study in the May 2, 2023, issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
They examined the impact of ambient air pollution on dementia risk.
How the research was conducted
The study involved 1,100 men from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging, assessing their cognitive function over 12 years.
The researchers found that exposure to air pollutants like car exhaust and power plant emissions increased the risk of developing dementia.
High levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in their 40s and 50s were associated with cognitive decline.
Individuals with the APOE-4 gene were particularly vulnerable.
Air pollution is even more dangerous to overall health than we thought
The findings highlight the importance of early identification of modifiable risk factors and suggest that air pollution affects cognitive decline earlier than previously thought.
