As has been written about previously on this blog, although more than 5.4 million Americans are dealing with the effects of Alzheimer's disease, recent findings have shown that the rates of occurrence of the disease have been on the decline. However, another recent finding has come out surrounding the causes of Alzheimer's disease.
It turns out that inflammation could play a significant role in causing Alzheimer's. According to an article from ABC Science, epigenetic changes, which cause particular genes to switch on or off, could be affecting the development of Alzheimer's.
The results, which were determined by two independent studies, were published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. What they found from analyzing 708 donated brains was that DNA methylation might play a role in causing the disease to occur. The researchers were able to determine this finding by looking for signs of Alzheimer's in the brain tissue in addition to analyzing DNA.
In addition to finding that methylation occurred more frequently in brains that had been affected by Alzheimer's, methylation was found in the brains of those who had not yet been diagnosed with Alzheimer's but exhibited signs of it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), out of the top causes of death in the United States, Alzheimer's is sixth on the list.
Medical News Today reports that a study has linked vitamin D deficiency to a risk of developing Alzheimer's. According to the study, which was published in Neurology, there is a "strong association" between vitamin D intake and dementia risk. It was found among study participants that low vitamin D levels led to a 70 percent increase in the risk for developing the disease.
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