Human study · Aging · 27 Oct 2026
Both low and high hemoglobin tracked with later dementia diagnoses
Source: SciTechDaily
What the research found
SciTechDaily reported on 27 October 2026 a Journal of Alzheimer's Disease analysis, also presented at the 39th ECNP Congress, led by Hyun Soo Kim at Dong-A University. Screening records for 316,542 Korean adults aged 40 and older in 2004 and 2005 were followed for dementia diagnoses through 2019. Versus the hemoglobin group with the lowest dementia rate, the lowest fifth had a 16 percent higher risk of any dementia and the highest fifth had a 7 percent higher risk. Alzheimer's risk was mainly higher in the lowest fifth (14 percent). Vascular dementia was higher at both extremes (19 percent and 18 percent). The pattern was clearer in women than in men, and the sample was not women-only. The authors say this does not show that hemoglobin itself causes dementia. It is not a personal prediction and not a reason to chase a number without a clinician. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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