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U.S. Dementia Rates Fall

U.S. Dementia Rates Fall

Despite recent setbacks in the development of Alzheimer's drugs, researchers from the University of Michigan recently published some exciting findings: the percentage of people over 65 years of age in the United States with dementia is decreasing [1].

Kenneth Langa, David Weir, and their colleagues examined data from the Health and Retirement Study, which surveys a representative sample of approximately 20,000 Americans over 65 years of age. The data includes information on health, cognition, family, employment, and wealth. The researchers found that the relative rate of dementia fell by 24 percent from 2000 to 2012.

This finding is in line with an increasing number of studies over the last 10 years which also reported falling dementia rates [2]. However, these prior studies drew from largely white populations in distinct geographic locations. The Health and Retirement Study, on the other hand, surveys a more representative population of the United States, including nearly 20% minorities.

Why are the rates of dementia decreasing? The authors found that some of the decrease was due to an increase in the level of education. Respondents in 2012 had, on average, one additional year of education than those from 2000. Education is one modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, and it is estimated that nearly one in five cases of Alzheimer's disease worldwide can be attributed to low educational attainment [3]. Education may promote "backup" connections between brain cells that give the brain the ability to compensate for some of the damage from degeneration and maintain function for longer. Education is also linked with increased levels of physical activity, better diet, and decreased rates of smoking—other factors that may reduce dementia risk.

Another interesting finding from the study was that elderly people in 2012 had a decreased rate of dementia despite an increased prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension—all risk factors for dementia. This paradoxical finding might be explained by the fact that people are increasingly managing these chronic diseases. In fact, the authors found that the proportion of adults with diabetes taking some form of medicine increased by 4 percent in 2012. Managing chronic illness and education are two of Cognitive Vitality's First Steps to Brain Health, along with a healthy diet, sleep, exercise, stress reduction, and an active social life.

Although the percentage of people over the age of 65 with dementia is decreasing, the elderly population as a whole is growing which means that the number of people suffering from dementia will likely continue to rise. However, many lines of research, including this recent study, suggest that people can take action to lower their risk of dementia. We created CognitiveVitality.org to help you make informed decisions for lifelong brain health.

  1. Langa KM, Larson EB, Crimmins EM et al. (2016) A Comparison of the Prevalence of Dementia in the United States in 2000 and 2012. JAMA Intern Med.
  2. Larson EB, Yaffe K, Langa KM (2013) New insights into the dementia epidemic. The New England journal of medicine 369, 2275-2277.
  3. Norton S, Matthews FE, Barnes DE et al. (2014) Potential for primary prevention of Alzheimer's disease: an analysis of population-based data. Lancet neurology 13, 788-794.

Nick McKeehan is a member of the ADDF's Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention program. He evaluates the scientific evidence for and against therapies to promote brain health and/or prevent Alzheimer's disease at our website CognitiveVitality.org and contributes regularly to the site's blog. Mr. McKeehan previously served as Chief Intern at Mid Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA) and was a research technician at Albert Einstein College of Medicine investigating repair capabilities of the brain. Mr. McKeehan received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Purdue University, where he was awarded a Howard Hughes Scholarship. He also writes about the biotechnology industry for 1st Pitch Life Science.

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