How not having enough food at different ages may affect risk of Alzheimer's and related dementias
Lifecourse food insecurity and dementia risk
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · NIH-11297632
This project looks at whether periods of not having enough food during childhood, adulthood, or older age change the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in later life.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11297632 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Researchers will use long-running U.S. population studies (the Health and Retirement Study and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979) that collected repeated information on food security and cognitive health. They will compare people who experienced short-term versus long-term food insecurity across the lifecourse and link those patterns to later dementia risk and cognitive decline. The team will also examine how patterns of SNAP (food assistance) benefits over time relate to dementia outcomes. Analyses will focus on timing (when food insecurity happens), duration (acute versus chronic), and trajectories of cognitive change.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who experienced food insecurity at some point in life—especially older adults with histories of food hardship—or anyone already enrolled in large U.S. aging cohorts are the most relevant group for this work.
Not a fit: People without information about food access or cognitive testing in those national datasets, or those with dementia from clearly non-social causes, are unlikely to see direct benefits from these analyses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to when food-related hardship matters most for brain health and guide nutrition or policy actions to lower dementia risk.
How similar studies have performed: Very few prior studies exist and most were one-time, cross-sectional analyses, so this lifecourse, longitudinal approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO — SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: MARTINEZ, SUZANNA M — UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- Study coordinator: MARTINEZ, SUZANNA M
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Alzheimer disease dementia, Alzheimer syndrome