Reducing Air Pollution May Lower Risk of Dementia Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Cleaner Air Could Be Better for Your Brain

Emerging research links improved air quality to reduced dementia risks

Patrick Herrera/Getty Images The benefits of improving air quality go beyond happier trees and better breathing. New research presented at the 2021 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) finds that cleaner air may also improve cognitive function and lower a person's risk for . Poor air quality has long been associated with poor health. It increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Air pollution has also been linked in several studies to an increased risk for dementia, including the most common form, Alzheimer's disease. However, improving air quality could reverse those risks, according to a few new findings. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. In one report presented on July 26, researchers looked at more than 2,200 women between the ages of 74 and 92 enrolled in a major U.S. study for a 10-year period, between 2008 and 2018. None of the women had dementia at the start of the study, and in the 10 years before it began, air quality throughout the U.S. had greatly improved. But in areas where the air was even cleaner — where levels of fine particulate matter (which can include chemicals emitted from construction sites and power plants, for example) and traffic-related pollutants were below the Environmental Protection Agency's set standard — the investigators found dementia risk decreased by 14 and 26 percent over about a six-year follow-up. Improvements were seen in other areas, too, including memory and attention; cognitive decline also slowed for participants living in areas with better air quality. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > "The takeaway from our research would be that reducing our exposure to air pollution may protect our brains,” says Christina Park, a doctoral student in the department of epidemiology at the University of Washington who worked on the study. “And I think unlike other risk factors for dementia, like genetics, air pollution is something we can potentially change.” AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. risk. These are behaviors or circumstances that, in theory, humans can change. Everything from blood pressure control, to socialization, to diet and exercise play a pivotal role in brain health, studies show. In addition to air pollution, other environmental factors, like noise and lack of green space, have also been linked to cognitive decline. "We now know that people can take charge of their brain health to reduce their risks for cognitive decline or dementia as they age. But these studies are more evidence that our communities along with the public and private sectors have enormous roles to play in helping individuals choose healthier behaviors and in reducing the threats to their brain health to begin with,” says Sarah Lenz Lock, AARP senior vice president for policy and brain health. Lock is also the executive director of the (GCBH), which analyzes the latest dementia research and translates it so that older adults have the information they need to maintain and improve their brain health. For example, the GCBH discussed how light and noise levels in disadvantaged neighborhoods negatively impact . "This is exciting progress showing us that we can change the social determinants of health that face all of us and lower the numbers of people who will have to face dementia in the future,” she adds. Experts are still uncertain of the potential mechanisms at play when it comes to air pollution and the progression of dementia, says Claire Sexton, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer's Association. Some pin it on other health hazards that can result from poor air quality, including , which is a risk factor for dementia. Another idea: The smallest particles of pollution can ignite an inflammatory response in the body, and inflammation has been associated with the development of dementia. Sexton notes that more research on the link between air pollution and brain health is needed. “But the evidence is growing,” she says. “If these [studies] can be replicated in other samples, then they're really just showing the potential that policies that improve air quality can have.” And with an estimated 90 percent of people around the world breathing in air that doesn't meet WHO standards, “this could just be the tip of the iceberg for how targeting air pollution could impact risk of dementia,” Sexton says. Currently, some 50 million people worldwide are living with dementia. Rachel Nania writes about health care and health policy for AARP. Previously she was a reporter and editor for WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C. A recipient of a Gracie Award and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, she also participated in a dementia fellowship with the National Press Foundation. 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