Racism, Aging and Dementia: New Studies
While this is not just an employment issue, people should be aware of the pernicious effects of racial discrimination. And employers and employees should be aware that racial discrimination in the workplace has far worse effects than previously understood.
In May I posted about racism and its effect on brain health and accelerated aging.
I wrote that:
“’’Two terrible things have now crossed paths.’ According to new research ‘the chronic stress of racism and disrespectful treatment could contribute to poor brain health and later disease.’ The new study found that discrimination, including employment discrimination, ‘may cause accelerated aging, building on prior research that found discrimination may contribute to health problems like depression and heart issues.’”
Now, a study published in JAMA Network Open confirmed that “the toll of racism on the brain was linked to advanced aging, observed on a cellular level.”
The authors write that:
“Aging is a natural process. However, stress can speed up the biological clock, making people more vulnerable to aging-related diseases, from cardiovascular disease to diabetes and dementia.
Epidemiological studies consistently show that Black people experience these aging-related health problems at an earlier age than white people. New studies also show focal effects of aging on the brain, indicating disparities in brain aging between Black and white populations.
Race-related stressors, including racial discrimination, affect the rate at which people age on a biological level. These experiences activate the stress response system and have been linked to greater activity in brain regions that process incoming threats. However, until now, researchers in our field have not understood how brain changes linked to racism contribute to accelerated aging.”
The cited studies dig deep into cellular analysis and things far beyond the remit of this blog. But the results and conclusions are inescapable.
As I said in the May blog post takeaway: Let’s leave these studies there, and just spend a little time pondering these results.