A nutrient deficiency affecting one in five people in the UK could increase the risk of dementia and accelerate the onset of symptoms, new research suggests.<\/p>\n
Iron deficiency anaemia\u00a0\u2013 a common condition where a lack of iron in the body causes low red blood cell production\u00a0\u2013 has long been linked to a number health problems, including fatigue, headaches and memory issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In severe cases, untreated anaemia can even lead to heart disease and kidney failure.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, researchers from Stockholm University have discovered another concerning condition linked to iron deficiency: dementia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Low iron reserves, they found, can reduce the brain’s resilience to the disease, increasing the risk of developing it, and hastening symptoms – particularly in men.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More than 10 million Britons are estimated to have some level of anaemia, which occurs when blood lacks the resources needed to carry an adequate amount of oxygen around the body, causing paleness, shortness of breath and heart palpitations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whilst iron deficiency anemia can be caused by a lack of iron in the diet, heavy periods and pregnancy are also very common causes in women.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The new paper\u00a0\u2013 published in the journal JAMA Neurology\u00a0\u2013 followed 2,282 cognitively healthy adults aged 60 and over for around 9 years, tracking how changes in iron levels influenced their\u00a0Alzheimer’s<\/a> risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n Without iron, the body can’t make enough haemoglobin, the protein in the blood responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. Iron is also necessary to maintain a healthy immune system<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Blood samples collected at the beginning of the study were analysed for levels of tau, a protein which accumulates and tangles in the brain.\u00a0<\/p>\n Significant clumps of this toxic protein can form plaques in the brain – and is thought to be behind the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.\u00a0<\/p>\n Blood samples were also tested for haemoglobin levels, a protein in red blood cells that carrier oxygen around the body and gives blood its red colour, which is used to diagnose anaemia.<\/p>\n Men and women with anaemia were 66 per cent more likely to develop the memory-robbing disease than those with normal haemoglobin levels, researchers found.\u00a0<\/p>\n Low haemoglobin was also associated with higher levels of p-tau217\u00a0\u2013 believed to be the most specific blood marker for Alzheimer’s.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Interestingly, the researchers noted, anaemia was associated with higher dementia risk in men than women, despite more women being affected by iron deficiency anaemia.\u00a0<\/p>\n They suggested this could reflect a sex-specific vulnerability to low\u00a0haemoglobin levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Without](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/17\/11\/107966265-15741445-image-a-1_1776422127069.jpg\")
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