People who are frequently victims of these racial discriminations are more likely to develop disorders such as type 2 diabetes, insomnia, poor stress management. In the long term, this could accelerate the risk of dementia and the onset of Alzheimer’s.
- People who are exposed to racism develop stress that can alter cognitive functions, including memory.
- The situations described can range from a poor reception by a shopkeeper (low daily racism) to institutional discrimination, such as the refusal to grant accommodation to the person (high racism)
- Chronic stress associated with racial discrimination may contribute to racial disparities in Alzheimer’s disease.
According to a 2017 survey, experiences of racism are common among African Americans: 50% or more of those surveyed in the study reported such experiences. These institutional and everyday forms of racism have been associated with adverse health effectsincluding increased risks of depression, lack of sleep, type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
A new study, published mid-July in the journal Alzheimer’s Association and carried out in the United States on 17,323 African-American women, shows long-term effects on cognitive health people who are regularly victims of racial discrimination. To reach these conclusions, the research team focused on six specific questions, based on the dementia indicator model called “subjective cognitive function” (FCS).
A link between racial discrimination and Alzheimer’s
The results obtained suggest that the women in the study are exposed to stress that can alter cognitive functions, especially memory, depending on the intensity of the discrimination suffered. The situations described can range from a mediocre reception by a tradesman (low level daily racism) to institutional discrimination, such as the refusal to grant housing to the person (high racism). Women who reported experiencing a high level of institutional racism were 2.66 times more likely to experience cognitive decline than those who did not report such experiences.
“Our work suggests that chronic stress associated with racial discrimination may contribute to racial disparities in Alzheimer’s disease”, says Lynn Rosenberg, a researcher at Boston University who led the study.
The researcher also specifies that future work must be carried out in order to determine whether exposure to institutional and daily racism accelerates the transition from dementia to Alzheimer’s disease or even if it increases the levels of biomarkers of the disease.
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