Research indicates that the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia may differ across populations. For South Asian Americans, these risks might present a unique pattern. A review in Alzheimer’s & Dementia explored 25 years of studies on dementia prevalence and risk factors in India. Evidence suggests that South Asians face distinct genetic, lifestyle, and health-related risks compared to those of predominantly European descent.
Researchers at Rutgers University’s Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center emphasized the lack of representation of South Asians in Alzheimer’s research. This results in significant knowledge gaps about how the disease develops in this community. Michal Schnaider Beeri, leading the study, noted in an interview with Newsweek that there has never been a U.S.-based study focusing on brain health in aging South Asians. This limits the ability to fully compare findings from India and other South Asian countries, especially in the face of immigration, acculturation, and associated lifestyle changes.
Despite these gaps, managing cardiometabolic health, especially diabetes and hypertension, is crucial for reducing dementia risk in South Asian Americans. Addressing vision and hearing loss, maintaining physical and mental activity, and fostering social connections are also important strategies, according to Beeri.
The research team examined studies from India between 2000 and 2025, comparing them with 14 modifiable dementia risk factors identified by the 2024 Lancet Commission. These factors, such as diabetes, hearing loss, vision impairment, physical inactivity, and lower educational attainment, may account for up to 45% of global dementia cases if properly managed.
Diabetes and metabolic disorders are particularly significant for South Asians. They often develop diabetes at younger ages and lower body weights than other populations. Beeri noted that vascular and metabolic risk factors emerge earlier in life among South Asians, potentially having a greater impact on dementia risk than is commonly recognized. Diabetes increases dementia risk substantially, but it may affect South Asians differently. These populations experience a form characterized by relative insulin deficiency, developing diabetes at younger ages and lower body weights. They progress rapidly from prediabetes to full disease and may benefit less from lifestyle interventions like exercise.
Education plays a larger role in dementia risk among South Asians. In India, limited education accounts for 22% of modifiable dementia risk, compared to 8% globally. One study found dementia was more than three times as common among adults without formal schooling than those with a primary education.
Vision and hearing impairments are widespread issues. Untreated vision loss could account for about 14% of dementia cases in India, with hearing loss linked to a 59% higher risk of dementia and nearly double the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Genetic factors also differ. Dementia risk variants in European ancestry appear to have limited impact among South Asians. These insights have informed the new South Asian Middle Age Risk Tracking for Brain Health (SAMARTH) study at Rutgers, tracking South Asian adults in the U.S. to identify Alzheimer’s risk and protective factors.
“The SAMARTH study aims to fill these gaps by detailing dementia risk and protective profiles specific to South Asian populations, with the intent of developing more precise prevention and treatment strategies,” Beeri explained.
Reference: Oberoi, A., et al. (2026). The landscape of dementia in India: Prevalence, risk factors, and opportunities ahead. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 22(6). doi:10.1002/alz.71526.
For further inquiries, contact Newsweek editors Kara Dolman and Emma Lee-Sang.
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