(Corrie Pelc/ Medical News Today) — According to recent research, one in 10 Americans ages 65 and older has dementia — a group of diseases that impair the way the brain functions.
Although there is no cure for dementia, scientists have identified 12 modifiable risk factors that may help lower a person’s risk for dementia.
One of those risk factors is air pollution. Previous research links air pollution exposure to increased hospital admission risk for dementia. And another study found exposure to high levels of air pollution increased older women’s risk of dementia by over 90%.
Now, adding to this body of research is a new study from a team at Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, that found higher exposure to particulate matter in traffic-related air pollution is linked to an increased risk of dementia. Scientists found a person’s dementia risk increased by 3% for every one microgram per cubic meter of fine particulate matter they were exposed to. (…)