Study finds racism causes Black Americans' brains to age faster than people of other races — increasing dementia risk

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Study finds racism causes Black Americans' brains to age faster than people of other races — increasing dementia risk​

Study finds racism causes Black Americans' brains to age faster than people of other races — increasing dementia risk
218
Allana Akhtar
November 16, 2022·2 min read

The brains of Black adults show signs linked to Alzheimer's and other cognitive diseases earlier in life compared to other ethnicities, per a new study.Westend61/

• A study of brain scans of Black, White and Latinx people found Black brains age faster than other races.
• The study found Black brains exhibited signs of aging like greater white matter sooner than other brains.
• Researchers said exposure to racism and discrimination could be causing brains to age faster.

Black brains age quicker than white brains, and racism might be why, according to a new study.
A new study, published in JAMA Neurology on Monday, analyzed the brain scans of 455 Black participants, 275 white participants, and 737 Latinx participants.
Researchers found brain scans of middle-aged and elderly Black participants had more signs of cerebrovascular disease, or disorders that effect blood supply to the brain and that are common among people with Alzheimer's, than white brains of the same age.
Black brains also exhibited signs of aging sooner — at around mid-life — compared to white and Latinx brains. These signs include how much white matter is in the brain and the width of gray matter in the outer layer of the brain.
The paper suggest the "cumulative effects of oppression, environmental adversity, and psychological stress" — or a lifetime of exposure to racism and discrimination — might be causing Black brain to age faster, since scientists have previously determined these factors can lead to cognitive decline.
Scientists have linked racism and discrimination to a variety of worse health outcomes for Black people, including higher infant and maternal mortality rates, shorter life expectancy, and more heart problems.
Now, researchers are better understanding how racism can harm the brain. A previous study that collected data from 59,000 Black women found those who experienced daily microaggressions and systemic discrimination were 2.75 times more likely to have worse cognitive functioning, an earlier indicator for Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disorder that slowly weakens memory and other mental functions. Older Black Americans are twice as likely as their white peers to have Alzheimer's or dementia, and many of them do not get diagnosed until the disease process was more advanced, per the National Institute on Aging.
Adam Brickman, a professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University and the study's main author, told STAT he was surprised to see brain aging begin so quickly in Black people. The authors of the study did not respond to Insider's request for additional comment.
"It's evidence that when we think about outcomes in late life, a lot of those changes are starting earlier in life," Brickman told STAT. "Cognitive aging is a lifelong phenomenon, not just something that happens when you turn 65."
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Study finds racism causes Black Americans' brains to age faster than people of other races — increasing dementia risk

Brain scans of middle-aged and elderly Black participants had more early signs of Alzheimer's compared to white brains of the same age.

www.insider.com

 

[Afro]

Damn, nobody commented on this?

Folks be wondering why we go gray so damn fast, why our mental health seems to be always precarious, etc etc.

My grandmother on my moms side had it (nine kids, drunk husband, do the math) and my mom was extremely paranoid about having it even though she had no markers.

 

[ItsPeople]

I believe it.

 

[Mindfield333]

Can dietary changes help?

 

[Hey_zeus]

Cut the check

 

[jdubnyce]

"It's evidence that when we think about outcomes in late life, a lot of those changes are starting earlier in life," Brickman told STAT. "Cognitive aging is a lifelong phenomenon, not just something that happens when you turn 65."

Very interesting position here that I agree with

Think about the amount of overt racism, life stress we're exposed to at early (all?) life stages

Brain can only handle so much

 

[Prince.Skeletor]

But how did they link it to racism?
JAMA is reputable btw

 

[Serious]

Very interesting position here that I agree with

Think about the amount of overt racism, life stress we're exposed to at early (all?) life stages

Brain can only handle so much

This is why wfh is a game Changer. I don’t have to deal with all that subtle bs.

My mental health and stress levels have improved significantly.

 

[Nkrumah Was Right]

Stress ages the body.

 

[jdubnyce]

But how did they link it to racism?
JAMA is reputable btw

The paper suggest the "cumulative effects of oppression, environmental adversity, and psychological stress" — or a lifetime of exposure to racism and discrimination — might be causing Black brain to age faster, since scientists have previously determined these factors can lead to cognitive decline

 

[Prince.Skeletor]

@jdubnyce that doesn’t answer the question.
How does it suggest that.
That’s how you read scientific studies

 

[Nagarjuna]

This is why wfh is a game Changer. I don’t have to deal with all that subtle bs.

My mental health and stress levels have improved significantly.

This ×100

I'd imagine the overall happiness and quality of life for black people with this option is significantly higher

Says a lot about the BS that goes on in these corporate environments

 

[Unknown Poster]

America is just horrifically evil. It's a fukking genocide country.
I seriously feel this country is trying to kill me from he inside out.
They trying to stress Black People out to death from dealing with racism.
From trying to get a job
From trying to make money
From trying to keep a roof over your head
From trying to stay fed and keep food on your table.

Then they (the dominant society and non-blacks) want to control you...make sure you work for them...they don't want to work for you. Cause America has not removed itself too much from the plantation model.

Then they want you to consistently give props to white people (your oppressors and natural enemies) and other non-blacks who don't return the favor and that's more mental anguish

Then they wanna make sure you nevee get a fair chance at anything.
Never get a fair chance to live your life.
They wanna stress you out til you die young of heart disease.
The cops stress you out cause they think you're a criminal and even a routine traffic stop can mean the end of your life dealing with them.
The women stress you out cause they think you're trying to rob and rape them. And you ain't even done nothing but walk down the street

The Men stress you out cause they see you as competition and they always want to see you beneath them.
The Media stresses you out cause you have no control over the Black Person's image and the image sold to the world is one that fuels anti-black racism.

America is wholeheartedly trying to kill Black people off. Whether its stress from racism, this horrible food pumped up with so many chemicals, these racist cops that become cops cause they want to kill black men and black women, this music that promotes black men killing each other, and the white man get paid off of that.

 

[Unknown Poster]

This is why wfh is a game Changer. I don’t have to deal with all that subtle bs.

My mental health and stress levels have improved significantly.

I work from home too. I don't want to deal with white people and their micro and macroaggressions.

Its bad enough Denver gets pretty fukking racist as it is...

 

[Unknown Poster]

Damn, nobody commented on this?

Folks be wondering why we go gray so damn fast, why our mental health seems to be always precarious, etc etc.

My grandmother on my moms side had it (nine kids, drunk husband, do the math) and my mom was extremely paranoid about having it even though she had no markers.

I don't blame people for missing this thread, it's definitely not a comfortable topic to discuss.