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Low Hemoglobin Linked to 66% Higher Dementia Risk in 9-Year Study
A large Swedish cohort study found that older adults with low hemoglobin levels faced a 66% higher risk of developing dementia over nine years. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, also showed that anemia was associated with elevated blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, including p-tau217, neurofilament light chain, and GFAP. Most strikingly, when anemia coexisted with high levels of these biomarkers, dementia risk jumped to 3.6 times higher than normal. Researchers suggest anemia may not only contribute to brain pathology but also reduce the brain's resilience to existing neurodegeneration, making hemoglobin a potentially modifiable target for dementia prevention strategies.
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