• Home
  • Archive
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • May 25, 2025

The Madison Times

The Paper That's More Than Black and White

  • News
    • Local News
    • National News
    • International News
    • Sports News
    • Education News
  • Columns
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Life Lessons with Alex Gee
  • Events
  • Health
  • Finance
  • Lifestyle
  • Classifieds
  • Community
    • Middle Spread
  • Milwaukee

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

New Research Shows African Americans Face Sharply Higher Dementia Risks

January 25, 2025

The significant increase in estimated risk means that roughly 514,000 Americans could develop dementia this year alone, with projections rising to approximately 1 million new cases annually by 2060.

By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

A new study reveals that Americans over the age of 55 have a 42 percent chance of developing dementia, a figure more than double that reported in previous research. The significant increase in estimated risk means that roughly 514,000 Americans could develop dementia this year alone, with projections rising to approximately 1 million new cases annually by 2060.

Dementia, characterized by progressive declines in memory, concentration, and judgment, is becoming more prevalent due to the aging U.S. population, the study concluded. Factors such as genetics, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, and mental health challenges also contribute to the rising dementia rates.

According to the study, earlier underestimations of dementia risk were likely due to unreliable recording in health records and death certificates, insufficient monitoring of early-stage cases, and underreporting of cases among racial minorities, who are especially vulnerable.

Conducted by a team from NYU Langone Health with contributions from Johns Hopkins University and other institutions, the research utilized data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS). Since 1987, this study has monitored the vascular health and cognitive function of nearly 16,000 participants, making it the longest-followed cohort of African Americans studying cognition and heart health.

The study, published in Nature Medicine, indicates that women and Black adults, along with individuals carrying the APOE4 gene variant, face higher risks of developing dementia, with lifetime risks ranging from 45 percent to 60 percent in these groups.

Dr. Josef Coresh, the study’s senior investigator from NYU Langone, noted the expected increase in dementia cases due to longer life expectancies and the high number of Americans now over age 65. He underlined the importance of early intervention strategies that target heart health to potentially slow cognitive decline and reduce the onset of dementia.

The study also links hearing loss among older adults to increased dementia risk, recommending enhanced testing and government support for hearing aids to promote healthy hearing.

“The pending population boom in dementia cases poses significant challenges for health policymakers, who must refocus their efforts on strategies to minimize the severity of dementia cases, as well as plans to provide more healthcare services for those with dementia,” Dr. Coresh stated.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Dementia, Stacy M. Brown

Read More - Related Articles

  • Tariffs, Boycotts Slam Target’s Bottom Line
  • Target CEO Attempts Damage Control After Weeks of Silence and Mounting Backlash
  • Lawmakers Fight to Save DOJ Office that Eases Racial Tensions
  • Harris Slams Trump’s Agenda as ‘Decades in the Making’
  • Trump Slaps Highest Tariff Yet on Small African Nation


Connect With Us

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Karma Chavez
Amanda Zhang
Julianne Malveaux
Benjamin Chavis
George Curry

Journalists

Jacklin Bolduan
Brianna Rae
Aarushi Agni
Rob Franklin
Claire Miller

Topics

Brown Girl Green $
Young Gifted & Black
Universally Speaking
Ask Progress
Civil Rights

Topics

Police Shooting
Police Brutality
Black Lives Matter
NAACP
Racism

Politicians

Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
Gwen Moore
Paul Soglin
Scott Walker

Contact Us

Phone:
414-449-4860

Copyright © 2025 Courier Communications. All Rights Reserved.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.