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Cited by 46Air Quality and Health ImpactsDementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchHealth, Environment, Cognitive Aging

Association of improved air quality with lower dementia risk in older women

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Wang, Xinhui, Younan, Diana, Millstein, Joshua, Petkus, Andrew J., Garcia, Erika, Beavers, Daniel P., Espeland, Mark A., Chui, Helena C. +8 more·2022·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2107833119PMC PMC8764698
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Abstract

Significance Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that improved air quality may improve respiratory health and reduce mortality. Increasing data support late-life exposure to air pollution as a modifiable risk factor for dementia, but whether improved ambient air quality translates to lower dementia risk is unclear. In this study on a geographically diverse cohort of US community-dwelling older women, we found that long-term improvement in ambient air quality in late life was associated with reduced dementia risk. The associations did not significantly differ by age, education, geographic region, Apolipoprotein E e4 genotypes, or cardiovascular risk factors. These findings strengthen the causal association between late-life exposure to air pollution and dementia risk.

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  • Older US women living in an area with improved air quality had a lower risk of dementia.

    “Older US women living in an area with improved air quality (PM2.5 and NO2 reduced over ten years) had a lower risk of dementia.(242)”

    From Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission (2024) · cites this paper as [242]

  • Black carbon is the PM2.5 constituent with the strongest association with dementia risk (HR 1.12 per 1 μg/m3 increment, 95% CI 1.11-1.14).

    “A US 7-year cohort study of >18 million participants found that the PM2.5 constituent with the strongest association with dementia risk was black carbon (HR per 1μg/m 3 increment 1.12; 1.11, 1.14).(239)”

    From Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission (2024) · cites this paper as [239]

    The Results report an estimate for overall PM2.5 exposure in older women (HR 1.16 per 2.90 μg/m³), not for black carbon. Searches for black carbon, a comparison of PM2.5 constituents, and the stated HR and cohort size found no passage addressing the claim. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Authors
Wang, X., Younan, D., Millstein, J., Petkus, A. J., Garcia, E., Beavers, D. P., Espeland, M. A., Chui, H. C., Resnick, S. M., Gatz, M., Kaufman, J. D., Wellenius, G. A., Whitsel, E. A., Manson, J. E., Rapp, S. R., & Chen, J.-C.
Affiliations
  • University of Southern California (US)
  • Wake Forest University Health Sciences (US)
  • National Institute on Aging (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Boston University (US)
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
Corresponding author
  • Younan, Diana
  • Chen, Jiu-Chiuan
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2022-01-04
Volume
119
Issue
2
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.2107833119
PMC
PMC8764698
OpenAlex
W4206549883
Cited by
46
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2018: 1
FWCI
3.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • HHS | NIH | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (5P30ES007048, R01ES025888)
  • HHS | NIH | National Institute on Aging (R01AG033078, RF1AG054068, P01AG055367, P30AG049638-01A1)
  • Alzheimer''''s Association (AARF-19-591356)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
Keywords
air quality, dementia risk, air pollution, older women, community-dwelling older adults, modifiable risk factors, apolipoprotein E e4
MeSH terms
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Air Pollutants, Air Pollution, Dementia, Environmental Exposure, Female, Humans, Nitrogen Dioxide, Risk Factors, Cohort Studies, Incidence, Proportional Hazards Models, Particulate Matter

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