Alzheimer’s disease more widespread than previously thought, first-of-its-kind study suggests

Credit: Getty Images/FredFroese

By Olivia Bowthorpe

Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes are more common in older adults than previously thought, a new first-of-a-kind population level research suggests.

Around 10% of people in their late 50s and 60s had evidence of abnormal protein buildup in the brain driving Alzheimer’s disease. By age 70, just over 30% of participants in the study had these proteins, rising to almost 65% of people over 90.