Study blames 'sexism' for causing dementia in women

Article here. Excerpt:

'Women are disproportionately more likely to get Alzheimer's than men, which has long been attributed to living longer and genetic differences.

But now, a new study from Columbia University Irving Medical Center has blamed a new cause: sexism.

Researcher, who reviewed data on more than 21,000 people, said that inequality in access to resources and power was causing damaging changes in women's brains that leads to dementia.

They found that women in America's 'most sexist' states had nine extra years of cognitive decline compared to their peers in the country's least sexist states.

Dr Justina Avila-Rieger, an associate scientist who lead the study, said: 'Our findings suggest that addressing social inequities may be a powerful way to lower the burden of Alzheimer's among women.

'What we... know is that structural inequalities shape individual health outcomes by creating barriers to health-enhancing opportunities and resources.

'Eventually, these exposures produce disparities in chronic physical health conditions that directly influence brain health, the onset of cognitive impairment and, ultimately, dementia.''