Sex-specific modifiable factors for incident late-onset dementia in the geographic context

Evidence regarding sex-specific risk factors across various regions contributing to late-onset dementia (LOD) incidence remains limited. A team of researchers in Wuhan, China explored the common influencing factors within the same sex across various regions.
This cohort study used four independent samples across 19 countries between 2010 and 2020: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the United States, and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Hazard ratios (HRs) for selected variables and late-onset dementia or late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) were estimated.
39,439 participants (56.3% female) aged 65 years and older without dementia at baseline were included in the analysis. During the follow-up period, 3,548 patients (59.2% female) with late-onset dementia were recorded. Females had a 21% lower risk (pooled HR: 0.79 [0.69-0.89]) of developing late-onset dementia than males. While age was identified as a common risk factor across all female populations in four cohorts, no common risk factor was found among male populations. Current drinkers served as a consistent modifiable factor for females in 18 countries (from North America and Europe) other than China and for males in Europe (HR: 0.62 [0.47-0.82]). An additive interaction between current drinking and age was observed in females but not in males. The association between drinking alcohol frequency and late-onset dementia was inconsistent among females in the HRS and the ELSA. No significant associations between alcohol consumption and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease were found in the HRS and the ELSA.
These findings suggest that moderate alcohol intake may reduce the risk of late-onset dementia among younger-old females in North America and Europe, as well as males in Europe.
Source: H. Meng, G. Cheng, H. Dong, X. Xie, J. Wang, C. Cai, X. Liu, Y. Xu, X. He, W. Tan, Y. Zeng. Sex-Specific Modifiable Factors for Incident Late-Onset Dementia in the Geographic Context: A Longitudinal Comparative Analysis of Multicohort Studies across 19 Countries. Neuroepidemiology. 2026 Jun 24:1-14.