New Study Links Air Pollution To Dementia

When you think about the causes of dementia, age probably springs first to mind as it is primarily associated with Alzheimer’s, a disease which hits the older adult age groups the hardest. Diabetes and high cholesterol are also in the high risk category, as are family history, smoking and alcohol use, according to Stanford Medicine. One cause you may not have associated with this devastating condition is air pollution, but according to a recent study conducted by the University of California San Diego, there is a link.

Health Concerns

If you’re thinking that this doesn’t affect you as someone living far from a busy highway or industrial facility, you could be in for a scary surprise. The pollutants cited in the study are fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) “associated with accelerated age-related cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD),” according to the study’s authors from UCSD’s psychiatry and aging departments.