If You Have Various Gut Disorders, It Could Mean That You Are At A Higher Risk Of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease

spaxiax - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
spaxiax - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purpose only, not the actual person

5.8 million people in the United States currently suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)– a brain disorder that “slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out simple tasks,” according to the National Institute on Aging.

And while past observational studies have pointed to a link between AD and gastrointestinal tract disorders, the existence of such a relationship had not been proven.

Now, a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at Edith Cowen University (ECU) in Australia has confirmed that people with various gut disorders are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.

The study analyzed massive data sets from numerous AD and gut-disorder studies– each encompassing about four hundred thousand people.

And Dr. Emmanuel Adewuyi, the study’s lead researcher, described how the discovery of numerous common genes between patients with AD and gut disorders is an instrumental finding in the fight against AD.

“This improves our understanding of the cause of these conditions and identifies new targets to investigate to potentially detect the disease earlier and develop new treatments for both types of conditions,” Dr. Adewuyi said.

Another significant link that the researchers identified was cholesterol. More specifically, how abnormal levels of cholesterol were identified as a risk factor for both gut disorders and AD.

“Looking at the genetic and biological characteristics common to AD and these gut disorders suggests a strong role for lipids metabolism, the immune system, and cholesterol-lowering medications,” Dr. Adewuyi said.

In fact, he believes that there is evidence high cholesterol is able to transfer into a person’s central nervous system and cause abnormal metabolizing of cholesterol in the brain.

spaxiax – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person

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Now, the researchers believe that this identified link can be crucial to AD treatments moving forward. Because while there are currently no known cures for AD, cholesterol-lowering medications could prove beneficial for both AD and gut disorders.

To read the study’s complete findings published in Nature, visit the link here.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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