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Common stomach bug may ‘moderately’ increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
A link between a common stomach bacteria and Alzheimer’s is reshaping the way health experts think about the debilitating disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases in the world, with nearly seven million Americans said to be living with the condition. Yet, ambiguity around its cause remains. Though there are several potential explanations, there is no simple answer for why Alzheimer’s occurs in humans – and there is no treatment that can reverse its progression either. As such, health experts are constantly searching for breakthroughs in regard to their understanding of the progressive illness. One recent study has indicated that a commonly found stomach bacteria could be telling us more about Alzheimer’s than we realize.
Study finds link between common stomach bug and Alzheimer’s
Research published by the Alzheimer’s Association in an edition of the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Journal first posted in March 2024 could have interesting implications on how medical professionals think about everyday stomach bugs in the future.
According to the paper, which was co-authored by seven experts in the field, there is a significant link between a stomach bacterium known as Helicobacter pylori and the development of Alzheimer’s.
Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium said to be found in the stomachs of around two-thirds of the world’s population. While not innately dangerous (Helicobacter pylori does not directly cause illness, and its presence is usually asymptomatic), the research group have claimed that the bacterium may make infected people more susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s.
Helicobacter pylori linked to 11% increase in Alzheimer’s
Using a focus group of 4,262,092 subjects, the researchers analyzed health data from 1988 to 2019, and found that among the subjects over the age of 50 – those who were infected with Helicobacter pylori had an 11% greater chance of developing Alzheimer’s than those who were not – a risk they categorized as “moderately increased”.
For comparison, salmonella, another common infection, displayed no such similarities, suggesting that the Helicobacter findings were of worthy significance.
The researchers noted that there was no major change in effects between the ages of the over 50s, nor their sex.
What this research could mean
Analysis of the paper has suggested that this potential link could have weighty implications for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s and Dementia in the future.
One important point highlighted in a study of the paper is the fact that the population is the fact that nations such as the UK and the US have aging populations.
As Alzheimer’s is commonly found in older individuals, this means that we can expect Alzheimer’s to be increasingly prevalent in years to come – thus increasing the importance of research such as this.
Moreover, as noted in the future implications section of the study, more research in a similar vein will likely push the health community towards searching for the eradication of common stomach bugs like Helicobacter pylori.
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