
Study Offers Clues to Racial Differences in Alzheimer's Disease - Varcht
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/01/07/682036486/study-suggests-alzheimer-s-disease-may-work-differently-in-african-americans
======
ncmncm
I wonder if these correlate precisely to correspondingly differing incidence
of herpes infection.

------
raarts
Confused about the link with poverty and stress. A linked article states:
"Several teams presented evidence that poverty, disadvantage and stressful
life events are strongly associated with cognitive problems in middle age and
dementia later in life among African-Americans.

The findings could help explain why African-Americans are twice as likely as
white Americans to develop dementia. And the research suggests genetic factors
are not a major contributor."

Since there are more poor whites than African Americans, I don't understand
why being poor explains African Americans being twice as likely to develop
dementia?

~~~
chasontherobot
According to the State of Working America:

> Among racial and ethnic groups, African Americans had the highest poverty
> rate, 27.4 percent, followed by Hispanics at 26.6 percent and whites at 9.9
> percent. [0]

[0]: [http://stateofworkingamerica.org/fact-
sheets/poverty/](http://stateofworkingamerica.org/fact-sheets/poverty/)

~~~
raarts
US population: African-Americans 40M, Whites 200M.

People in poverty: African-Americans (27%) 10,8 million, White: (9,9%) 19,8
million. So there are twice as many poor white people as black people.

How can poverty explain that black people get dementia more often? There are
twice as many white poor people as there are black.

------
ralusek
No mention of diet? Across the two populations in America, the diets between
whites and blacks are vastly different.

~~~
boomboomsubban
While diet may play a role in dementia, it has no role in this study. It's
showing that there is a innate difference in the amount of a molecular
biomarker in different races that should be considered when testing for
dementia. A further study could test if diet causes a difference in the
biomarker, but there's no reason for them to mention it here.

~~~
ralusek
Why would the molecular biomarker not be subject to diet, are you sure it
isn't?

~~~
boomboomsubban
There are tons of things that the biomarker could be subject to, there's no
evidence that diet is relevant.

------
vivekd
That was a bit unsatisfying, it seems no real answers, but I suppose that's to
be expected considering the research is only in it's very preliminary stages.
Considering the costs involved - getting volunteers and spinal fluids, it
seems like we're not going to get meaningful answers in the near future.

