4 ms·

Alz is brain inflammatory response to viruses (among other foreing detritus) that got past the blood-brain barrier, so I'm not surprised.

throwawaymaths 2y ago
Not fully known but increasing evidence. Pretty stunning result is the discontinuity in all causes dementia for NHS seniors in Wales with the week of birth as the discontinuity point (week of birth is cutoff qualifier for a shingles vaccine)
- dboreham 2y ago
  The vaccine makes things better, I assume?
  - waterhouse 2y ago
    Correct. The study in question: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- dendrite9 2y ago
  That was really interesting, I saw it earlier while logged out and just wanted to say thanks for pointing that out.
- dyauspitr 2y ago
  I don’t understand. What do you mean by week of birth as the discontinuity point?
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/ > To provide causal as opposed to merely correlational evidence on this question, we take advantage of the fact that in Wales eligibility for the herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax) for shingles prevention was determined based on an individual’s exact date of birth. Those born before September 2 1933 were ineligible and remained ineligible for life, while those born on or after September 2 1933 were eligible to receive the vaccine. Basically, the people born around that date are about as perfect a control-vs-experimental group split you can get in a large population.
_silicon 2y ago
This is only partly true. There are many different factors increasing risk for Alzheimer’s which include environmental triggers that cause inflammation which can include but are not limited to viruses, bacteria, aging, arthritis, surgery, injury, etc
- arcticbull 2y ago
  It's quite possible that it's environmental suppression of immunity, aging and/or degradation of the blood brain barrier that permits the viruses to make their way topside. There's some evidence that the amyloid plaques actually exhibit antimicrobial activity and may be an immune response to infection. [1] In my unsubstantiated opinion it's likely to be herpesviridae that make their way to the brain due to their affinity for nerve tissue and the fact up to 80% of Americans have HSV1. Separately 50% of Americans have cytomegalovirus, another herpes virus. And yet more have HSV6 and HSV8. It's safe to assume over 90% of Americans have some latent herpes-family virus. It also explains why acyclovir and valacyclovir dramatically reduces the risk of developing dementia. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55423-9 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55423-9 [2] https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/antivirals-for-herpes-simplex-virus-may-prevent-alzheimer-disease/ https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/antivirals-for...
  - parhamn 2y ago
    > In my unsubstantiated opinion it's likely to be herpesviridae Curious, would this be hard to verify? To a layman that sounds like something that would be easily detectable under a microscope using samples of brain.
    - nradov 2y ago
      Viruses aren't detectable under a regular light microscope. We have other assays that can detect certain viruses but they aren't completely accurate. And getting a sample of brain tissue from a living patient is quite hazardous.
  - shandor 2y ago
canadiantim 2y ago
Also yeast/candida getting past blood-brain barrier (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-a-candida-infection-could-trigger-mechanisms-tied-to-alzheimers https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-a-candida-infe...) Also mold causing mold toxin load, like e.g. ochratoxin A which causes cell death in the memory centres of the brain
unyttigfjelltol 2y ago
These days I just blame everything on histomine dysfunction and marvel that the medical complex has been so reluctant to pick it up.[1] [1] https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/caution-advised-with-low-histamine-diets-for-long-covid.html https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/caution-advised-with-low-his...
- Aurornis 2y ago
  Histamine and MCAS have been adopted by alternative medicine as an explanation for everything, but it’s not supported by science. Dieticians like the one you linked have been coming up with theories for how everything is caused by either too much or too little histamine for years. MCAS is particularly over diagnosed right now. The number of patients who think they have MCAS based on TikTok and Internet forums is so bad that most doctors have no choice but to assume it’s not a real diagnosis unless the patient has actually supporting test results in their file. Usually when you ask an “MCAS” patient how they were diagnosed, you get a long story about how their vague symptoms can be explained by MCAS according to something they saw on the internet. The saddest part of the internet MCAS phenomenon is all of the people on Reddit and TikTok who have been convinced they have MCAS and can’t understand why all of the antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers and special diets aren’t fixing their problems. The fact that they probably don’t have MCAS and histamine doesn’t explain their symptoms just can be accepted after they’ve become immersed in online MCAS communities.
  - ksenzee 2y ago
    Yeah, it's super fun for folks who do have these diagnoses, and now have to defend them. "The autonomic neurologist who diagnosed me said..." etc.
  - nprateem 2y ago
    When you get ill and what the doctors give you doesn't work you have to research for yourself. Added to that you wonder if you'll ever get better. My own research was the only way I got clear of an illness I had after what the doctors gave me didn't work. It's easy to feel like stupid people are falling for reddit bullshit (and if course some are), but reddit is a potentially huge sample of empirical reports. Even if their reasoning is wrong it doesn't always mean they csn't find cures. That's how we got most medicines in history anyway. Secondly reddit etc are full of highly motivated, desperate people. You might become one yourself one day too. The saddest part is their illness, not their trying to do something about it.
meroes 2y ago
I think so. My uncle had quick case (meaning he died relatively quickly) and I think him having to have every single teeth pulled due to poor oral hygiene might have contributed.
resoluteteeth 2y ago
> Alz is This one theory that currently doesn't have a lot of hard evidence supporting it. It is a promising theory, but I don't think it is good to state it as if it is established fact.
ekianjo 2y ago
oh is that proven with clear evidence? I dont think so.
tim333 2y ago
A problem with that hypothesis is that Alzheimer's is very much found amongst the elderly while virus attacks hit all ages. Not saying that isn't involved but there's more to it.

throwawaymaths 2y ago

Not fully known but increasing evidence. Pretty stunning result is the discontinuity in all causes dementia for NHS seniors in Wales with the week of birth as the discontinuity point (week of birth is cutoff qualifier for a shingles vaccine)

dboreham 2y ago
The vaccine makes things better, I assume?
- waterhouse 2y ago
  Correct. The study in question: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
dendrite9 2y ago
That was really interesting, I saw it earlier while logged out and just wanted to say thanks for pointing that out.
dyauspitr 2y ago
I don’t understand. What do you mean by week of birth as the discontinuity point?
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10246135/ > To provide causal as opposed to merely correlational evidence on this question, we take advantage of the fact that in Wales eligibility for the herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax) for shingles prevention was determined based on an individual’s exact date of birth. Those born before September 2 1933 were ineligible and remained ineligible for life, while those born on or after September 2 1933 were eligible to receive the vaccine. Basically, the people born around that date are about as perfect a control-vs-experimental group split you can get in a large population.

_silicon 2y ago

This is only partly true. There are many different factors increasing risk for Alzheimer’s which include environmental triggers that cause inflammation which can include but are not limited to viruses, bacteria, aging, arthritis, surgery, injury, etc

arcticbull 2y ago
It's quite possible that it's environmental suppression of immunity, aging and/or degradation of the blood brain barrier that permits the viruses to make their way topside. There's some evidence that the amyloid plaques actually exhibit antimicrobial activity and may be an immune response to infection. [1] In my unsubstantiated opinion it's likely to be herpesviridae that make their way to the brain due to their affinity for nerve tissue and the fact up to 80% of Americans have HSV1. Separately 50% of Americans have cytomegalovirus, another herpes virus. And yet more have HSV6 and HSV8. It's safe to assume over 90% of Americans have some latent herpes-family virus. It also explains why acyclovir and valacyclovir dramatically reduces the risk of developing dementia. [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55423-9 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55423-9 [2] https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/antivirals-for-herpes-simplex-virus-may-prevent-alzheimer-disease/ https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/antivirals-for...
- parhamn 2y ago
  > In my unsubstantiated opinion it's likely to be herpesviridae Curious, would this be hard to verify? To a layman that sounds like something that would be easily detectable under a microscope using samples of brain.
  - nradov 2y ago
    Viruses aren't detectable under a regular light microscope. We have other assays that can detect certain viruses but they aren't completely accurate. And getting a sample of brain tissue from a living patient is quite hazardous.
- shandor 2y ago

canadiantim 2y ago

Also yeast/candida getting past blood-brain barrier (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-a-candida-infection-could-trigger-mechanisms-tied-to-alzheimers https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-a-candida-infe...) Also mold causing mold toxin load, like e.g. ochratoxin A which causes cell death in the memory centres of the brain

unyttigfjelltol 2y ago

These days I just blame everything on histomine dysfunction and marvel that the medical complex has been so reluctant to pick it up.[1] [1] https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/caution-advised-with-low-histamine-diets-for-long-covid.html https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/caution-advised-with-low-his...

Aurornis 2y ago
Histamine and MCAS have been adopted by alternative medicine as an explanation for everything, but it’s not supported by science. Dieticians like the one you linked have been coming up with theories for how everything is caused by either too much or too little histamine for years. MCAS is particularly over diagnosed right now. The number of patients who think they have MCAS based on TikTok and Internet forums is so bad that most doctors have no choice but to assume it’s not a real diagnosis unless the patient has actually supporting test results in their file. Usually when you ask an “MCAS” patient how they were diagnosed, you get a long story about how their vague symptoms can be explained by MCAS according to something they saw on the internet. The saddest part of the internet MCAS phenomenon is all of the people on Reddit and TikTok who have been convinced they have MCAS and can’t understand why all of the antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers and special diets aren’t fixing their problems. The fact that they probably don’t have MCAS and histamine doesn’t explain their symptoms just can be accepted after they’ve become immersed in online MCAS communities.
- ksenzee 2y ago
  Yeah, it's super fun for folks who do have these diagnoses, and now have to defend them. "The autonomic neurologist who diagnosed me said..." etc.
- nprateem 2y ago
  When you get ill and what the doctors give you doesn't work you have to research for yourself. Added to that you wonder if you'll ever get better. My own research was the only way I got clear of an illness I had after what the doctors gave me didn't work. It's easy to feel like stupid people are falling for reddit bullshit (and if course some are), but reddit is a potentially huge sample of empirical reports. Even if their reasoning is wrong it doesn't always mean they csn't find cures. That's how we got most medicines in history anyway. Secondly reddit etc are full of highly motivated, desperate people. You might become one yourself one day too. The saddest part is their illness, not their trying to do something about it.

meroes 2y ago

I think so. My uncle had quick case (meaning he died relatively quickly) and I think him having to have every single teeth pulled due to poor oral hygiene might have contributed.

resoluteteeth 2y ago

> Alz is This one theory that currently doesn't have a lot of hard evidence supporting it. It is a promising theory, but I don't think it is good to state it as if it is established fact.

ekianjo 2y ago

oh is that proven with clear evidence? I dont think so.

tim333 2y ago

A problem with that hypothesis is that Alzheimer's is very much found amongst the elderly while virus attacks hit all ages. Not saying that isn't involved but there's more to it.