Older Hispanic adults who lose all their natural teeth may face a steeper decline in cognitive function than their peers who retain their teeth. A new study analyzing data from over 23,000 participants found that edentulism—complete tooth loss—was linked to faster cognitive aging, especially among Hispanic individuals.While Hispanic and Black adults began with lower cognitive scores than white participants, their decline was generally slower. But for Hispanics without teeth, that protective trend disappeared. Their cognitive scores dropped about 0.03 points faster per year than those with teeth—a small but potentially significant difference over time.Researchers suggest several reasons for this link.…
Author: Disparity Matters
In California, where cardiovascular disease remains the leading killer of adults, new research shows that where people live and their race or ethnicity continue to shape who dies prematurely from heart disease and stroke. The study examined more than 615,000 cardiovascular deaths among adults ages 18 and older between 2015 and 2021, spanning the years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Researchers used the Healthy Places Index, a composite measure of 23 neighborhood conditions including economic security, education, housing, transportation, environmental pollution, social capital, the built environment, and access to health care. They found that cardiovascular mortality rates were inversely associated…
Research from the University of Notre Dame reveals biological differences that may explain why Black women experience more aggressive breast cancers and higher mortality rates compared to white women. While breast cancer incidence is highest among white women, Black women are more likely to develop early-onset or aggressive subtypes like triple-negative breast cancer.The disparity becomes stark among younger women. Young Black women under 50 have double the mortality rate of young white women with breast cancer, according to the study published in iScience.Scientists discovered that a specific population of cells called PZP cells may contribute to this health inequality. These…
Black women face an 80% higher mortality rate from endometrial cancer compared to other groups, and new research suggests the disparity may stem from more than just unequal access to care. A team at Emory University used artificial intelligence to uncover biological differences in tumor behavior that may help explain the poorer outcomes.“Racism and equitable access to health care certainly play a big role,” said Anant Madabhushi, executive director of Emory’s Empathetic AI For Health Institute. “But with endometrial cancer, it may not completely explain the difference in mortality.”Using machine learning, researchers analyzed tissue slides from African American and European…
Obesity-related cancer deaths have tripled in the United States since 1999, with Black Americans and other marginalized groups bearing the brunt of the increase. A study presented at ENDO 2025 revealed that mortality rates from obesity-associated cancers rose from 3.7 to 13.5 deaths per million over two decades. The impact is not evenly distributed. Women, older adults, Native Americans, Black Americans, and residents of rural areas saw the most significant increases. “Obesity is a significant risk factor for multiple cancers, contributing to significant mortality,” said lead researcher Faizan Ahmed, MD. He emphasized the urgent need for early screening and better…
A persistent lack of physician diversity is quietly fueling disparities in health care access and outcomes across communities of color. According to analysis from KFF, Hispanic, Black, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) individuals remain starkly underrepresented among physicians, despite growing demand for racially concordant care. The mismatch is most striking for Hispanic people. Though they represent 20% of the U.S. population, they make up only 7% of the physician workforce. In states like New Mexico, where Hispanics constitute nearly half the population, they account for just 17% of physicians—a gap of 31…
Once considered a disease mainly for older male smokers, lung cancer now disrupts even those with no tobacco history, raising fresh concerns about health disparities in minority communities. Evidence continues to mount that among Asian and Asian American women, the rate of lung cancer in nonsmokers is strikingly high—estimates in some groups have reached 50 percent or more. These patterns, paired with a lag in early detection, mean that cancers too often go undiagnosed until the most advanced stages, undercutting outcomes for patients like Annie Chen, a New Jersey woman diagnosed at 48 with stage 4 lung cancer despite never…
Black women in the U.S. face a troubling disparity in breast cancer outcomes, and new research highlights how social factors are driving later-stage diagnoses. A study of nearly 5,000 Black breast cancer patients found that underutilization of screening mammography was strongly linked to more advanced cancer at diagnosis. Women who missed regular screenings had more than three times the odds of being diagnosed at stage III or IV compared to those who followed guidelines (OR = 3.21, 95% CI 1.90–5.43).Income also played a critical role. Women living below the federal poverty line were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed…
Latinos in the United States may be at significantly higher risk for peripheral neuropathy—a condition marked by pain, tingling, and numbness in the hands and feet—than their white counterparts, according to new research published in Neurology. The study, which surveyed over 8,000 adults, found that 13% had peripheral neuropathy, with Latinos showing a 32% increased risk even after adjusting for health, lifestyle, and social factors.Study author Evan Lee Reynolds, PhD, of Michigan State University, noted that “race and ethnicity are social constructs without a biological basis and may be proxy… for hard-to-measure risk factors.” Despite controlling for known contributors like…
Racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. continue to face stark disparities in mental health care, with access and quality gaps driving poorer outcomes. White adults report using mental health services at a rate of 50%, compared with 39% for Black adults and 36% for Hispanic adults. For many, finding culturally competent providers remains a challenge—55% of Asian adults and 46% of Black adults say they struggle to find professionals who understand their background, compared with 38% of White adults.Barriers extend beyond availability. Hispanic adults report the highest rates of not receiving care, often because they “did not know how…