Julia Anglen Bauer's, Ph.D., M.S., research investigates the connections between environmental pollutants and Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on the U.S. Latino community.
About 7 million people in the United States are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. The Latino community faces an even higher risk of developing the disease, with prevalence expected to increase up to 800% by 2060.
“We don’t really know why there is a disproportionate burden, but it may involve the increased prevalence of cardiometabolic conditions- such as diabetes and obesity- in the Latino community, as well as other modifiable risk factors that may include exposure to environmental contaminants through diet and occupation,” Dr. Bauer said.
A Center for Clinical and Translational Science KL2 scholar and assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics in the University of Illinois Chicago’s School of Public Health, Dr. Bauer’s work builds on the premise that certain chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), accumulate in the body over a lifetime and may influence the development of Alzheimer’s much later…
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