New research shows that dementia risk factors affect women’s cognitive health more than men’s, highlighting the need for prevention strategies that address these differences.
New research suggests that women are more affected by dementia risk factors than men, both in how often these risks occur and in how much they influence thinking skills. The study, led by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, points to the need for prevention strategies that take these differences into account.
There’s More to the Gender Gap Than Meets the Eye
Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, is more common in women than men. Nearly two-thirds of the seven million people living with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. are women. While women’s longer life expectancy is a factor, it doesn’t fully explain their higher risk.
The UC San Diego team took a closer look at 13 risk factors that can be modified, such as high blood pressure, lack of physical activity, depression, and education level. Their goal was to understand how these factors play out differently for men and women.
Using data from more than 17,000 adults in the Health and Retirement Study, the researchers found patterns that challenge the idea that prevention should be the same for everyone.
Some Risk Factors Stand Out in Unexpected Ways
The study found that certain risk factors are more common in women, while others are more frequent in men. For example, women had higher rates of depression (17 percent compared to 9 percent for men), were less physically active (48 percent compared to 42 percent), and reported more sleep problems (45 percent compared to 40 percent). Women also had slightly lower levels of education, which is known to increase the risk of cognitive decline later in life.
Meanwhile, men were more likely to have hearing loss (64 percent compared to 50 percent), diabetes (24 percent compared to 21 percent), and heavy alcohol use (22 percent compared to 12 percent). High blood pressure and being overweight or obese were common in both groups.
But the most important finding wasn’t just about which risks are more common. The researchers discovered that several risk factors had a stronger negative effect on women’s thinking and memory than on men’s.
The Impact on Women’s Minds Goes Deeper
For women, high blood pressure and a higher body mass index were tied to greater declines in thinking skills than for men. Even risk factors that were more common in men, like hearing loss and diabetes, had a bigger effect on women’s cognitive performance.
“Looking beyond which risk factors are most common, we found that some have a disproportionately larger impact on women’s cognition. This suggests that prevention efforts may be more effective if they are tailored not just to risk factor prevalence, but to how strongly each factor affects cognition in women versus men.”
Personalized Prevention May Hold the Key
The findings suggest that dementia prevention strategies should be more tailored. Instead of focusing only on the most common risks, it may be more effective to address those that have the biggest impact on each group. For women, this could mean putting more emphasis on treating depression, encouraging physical activity, and supporting heart health.
“These differences highlight the importance of considering sex as a key variable in dementia research.”
This approach fits with precision medicine, which aims to match prevention and treatment to each person’s characteristics, including sex. Many of these risk factors can be changed, so there are clear ways to take action.
For example, promoting regular exercise, treating depression early, and managing blood pressure could make a real difference in lowering dementia risk for women.
What’s Still Unknown Keeps Researchers Digging
While this study brings important differences to light, it also raises new questions. Researchers are now trying to understand why these risk factors have a stronger effect on women. Hormonal changes, genetics, and differences in healthcare access are all possible reasons, but more research is needed to fully understand these links.
The team hopes that future studies will dig deeper into these issues and help reveal the best times and ways to intervene. “Ultimately, a more nuanced understanding of these differences could help us design smarter, more targeted interventions.”
These findings highlight the need to recognize how dementia risk factors can affect people differently. By focusing on the factors that matter most for each group, prevention efforts can be more effective and make a bigger impact for those at risk.
Source: News Medical