Contents:
- Medical Video: Research Updates: Amyloid Beta & Alzheimer’s Disease Video - Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- The cause of Alzheimer's is virus and bacteria in the brain
- Prevent Alzheimer's by adopting a healthy lifestyle
Medical Video: Research Updates: Amyloid Beta & Alzheimer’s Disease Video - Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Alzheimer's is a typical degenerative disease characterized by a decrease in brain function, such as difficulty thinking, speaking, and remembering (senility). Not yet known exactly what causes Alzheimer's, although the strongest suspicion of experts so far is the buildup of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. But a recent study succeeded in making the medical world shocked by its findings stating that Alzheimer's could be caused by viruses and bacteria that infect the brain. See the explanation below.
The cause of Alzheimer's is virus and bacteria in the brain
The statement above was delivered by a team of scientists from the University of Bristol. They use methods sequencing DNA to compare the brain of a body that had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and a healthy brain during his lifetime. Through this method, researchers can detect bacterial DNA in the brain.
The British study found that in the brain that has Alzheimer's there is an unusual proportion of bacteria. In the healthy brain bacterial colonies are detected, but only a few. But in the brain that has Alzheimer's, the proportion has increased even up to seven times. Not only that, it turns out the type of bacteria is different. In the brain that has Alzheimer's, Actinobacteria have a ratio of at least ten times greater than Proteobacteria.
But keep in mind also, methodsequencing This DNA does not directly describe the number of bacteria present. More research is still needed to be able to know for sure whether bacteria actually plays an active role in causing Alzheimer's. For this reason, a larger number of samples is needed. The study itself only has a small sample size, ie only 8 brains with Alzheimer's and 6 healthy brains.
Actually this is not the first time scientists have suspected that viruses or bacteria can be the cause of Alzheimer's. Some viruses and bacteria that are thought to cause Alzheimer's are herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), chlamydial bacteria, and spirokaeta bacteria that have spiral shapes. Previous studies have also suggested whether people with Alzheimer's disease are infected with certain microbes, including fungal infections.
But again, none of these studies can ascertain which one plays a key role in triggering Alzheimer's: whether it is a particular type of parasite or even the large number of bacteria contained in the brain. Most tests performed to determine this factor end up failing. Therefore, researchers emphasize that other studies are still needed to ascertain whether there are certain bacteria that can be the cause of Alzheimer's disease itself.
Prevent Alzheimer's by adopting a healthy lifestyle
One of the strongest risk factors that cause a person susceptible to Alzheimer's is age. However, that does not mean the disease cannot be completely prevented, the National Institutes of Health says that a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle can prevent Alzheimer's disease.
The institute advises anyone to eat healthy foods and rich in essential nutrients such as fish, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is believed to sharpen memory and cognitive function of the brain as a whole. Marine fish are also enriched by docosahexaenoic sam (DHA) which is very important for maintaining brain nerve function.
Apart from food, one of the steps that is effective in preventing Alzheimer's is regular exercise, which turns out to be just as important to maintain brain and mental health.
