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A study tracking 316,542 South Korean adults found that people with hemoglobin in the lowest range had a higher rate of later dementia diagnoses; those in the highest range also had a smaller increase in all-cause dementia risk. The observational findings show an association, not that hemoglobin causes dementia or that changing its level prevents it.
A study of 316,542 South Korean adults found that hemoglobin levels measured during routine health screenings were associated with later dementia diagnoses over as many as 15 years, though the research does not show that hemoglobin causes dementia. The findings, presented at the ECNP Congress in Munich and published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, suggest that an ordinary blood-test result could help researchers study links between physical health and long-term brain health.
The participants were 40 or older and had national health screenings in 2004–2005. Researchers divided them into five groups based on hemoglobin levels, from the lowest fifth to the highest fifth, then used national health insurance records to track new dementia diagnoses through the end of 2019. The follow-up period varied, reaching up to 15 years.
Compared with the study’s reference group—the group with the lowest dementia rate—participants in the lowest hemoglobin fifth had a 16% higher risk of all-cause dementia. Those in the highest fifth had a 7% higher risk. These are relative risk differences reported by the study, not estimates of an individual person’s likelihood of developing dementia.
Results also varied by diagnosis. For Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers reported a 14% higher risk among people in the lowest hemoglobin fifth. For vascular dementia, the lowest fifth had a 19% higher risk and the highest fifth an 18% higher risk. The vascular dementia pattern was not consistent across all five groups, and the association was clearer in women than in men.
What Routine Bloodwork Could Reveal
Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body, and it is commonly measured in routine blood tests. If its relationship with dementia is confirmed in further research, existing health records could offer researchers an accessible way to investigate how whole-body health relates to brain health, without relying only on specialist scans or newer biomarkers.
The results do not establish that a hemoglobin measurement can predict dementia for an individual or that it should be used as a stand-alone screening tool. The study reports group-level associations, and the authors say it does not show that raising or lowering hemoglobin would prevent dementia. For now, the main relevance is to research into possible risk markers, not a change in clinical guidance.
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How the Korean Study Tracked Risk
The research used a large cohort that had health screenings in 2004–2005 and national insurance records to identify later diagnoses. A long follow-up and large sample allowed researchers to compare dementia rates across hemoglobin groups, but the study remained observational: participants were not assigned to have different hemoglobin levels, and an association cannot establish what caused an outcome.
Low hemoglobin is commonly associated with anemia. Unusually high levels can be associated with factors such as smoking, dehydration, lung or heart disease, or other medical conditions. Those possibilities matter because hemoglobin may reflect broader health conditions rather than act as a direct cause of changes in the brain.
Dr Hyun Soo Kim, the study’s lead researcher and an assistant professor at Dong-A University College of Medicine, said the findings suggest abnormal hemoglobin could be a visible marker of wider physical vulnerability. The report does not establish which underlying factors account for the associations.
“The findings do not show that hemoglobin itself causes dementia, but suggest that abnormal hemoglobin levels may be a visible marker of wider physical vulnerability relevant to brain health.”
— Dr Hyun Soo Kim, lead researcher
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Limits of the Dementia Association
The study cannot determine whether hemoglobin levels contribute to dementia risk, reflect other health problems, or are associated with dementia for another reason. The researchers also noted that dementia processes may begin before diagnosis and could affect nutrition, frailty, weight loss, or anemia, potentially influencing hemoglobin levels.
The findings come from adults in South Korea, and it remains unclear whether the same associations would appear in populations with different backgrounds. The reported patterns also differed by dementia type and sex; the relationship for vascular dementia did not follow a simple progression across all five hemoglobin groups. The study does not provide a clinical threshold for predicting dementia or show how much an individual’s risk changes in absolute terms.
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Further Research Before Clinical Use
Researchers will need to test whether the associations hold in cohorts from a wider range of populations and examine how underlying health conditions and other factors influence the results. Further work would also be needed to determine whether hemoglobin adds useful information to existing risk assessments and whether any intervention affects dementia outcomes.
For people with an abnormal blood-test result, Kim said it should be discussed with a doctor because it may point to an underlying health issue that merits attention. The study offers no advice to take supplements or alter hemoglobin to prevent dementia; clinical decisions should be based on an individual’s health and a qualified professional’s assessment.
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Key Questions
Does this study prove that hemoglobin causes dementia?
No. It was an observational study and found associations between hemoglobin groups and later diagnoses. It cannot show that hemoglobin itself caused dementia.
What did the researchers find about low hemoglobin?
Participants in the lowest hemoglobin fifth had a 16% higher relative risk of all-cause dementia than the study’s reference group. The study also reported higher risks for Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in that lowest fifth.
Did high hemoglobin also relate to dementia?
The highest fifth had a 7% higher relative risk of all-cause dementia and an 18% higher risk of vascular dementia, compared with the relevant reference group. The vascular dementia pattern was not consistent across all five hemoglobin groups.
Should someone take iron or change their hemoglobin level?
The study does not recommend taking iron or raising or lowering hemoglobin to prevent dementia. If a blood test shows an abnormal result, discuss it with a qualified health professional, who can consider the person’s broader health.
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