Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease With Gut Microbes
The connections we are discovering between the brain and the gut could point towards new treatment option for various brain diseases
What does the gut have to do with it?
When we talk about Alzheimer’s disease, we usually think about the brain. After all, the condition is associated with cognitive, memory, and behavioral problems. This progressive brain disease is linked to plaques and tangles in the brain — protein clumps that appear to wreak havoc in the brain.
There are genetic risk factors, and several genes seem to be involved. Perhaps the most well-known one is the gene APOE. One version of this gene, APOEε4, is associated with a significantly increased risk for Alzheimer’s.
However, this does not mean we’re powerless.
Different lifestyle factors appear to be able to modulate the risk for developing Alzheimer’s your genes may or may not predispose you to. Both physical and mental activity can reduce your risk. Physical exercise is good for you, including for your brain. But mental exercise matters too. Reading, writing, playing games, learning a new language, making music… All these activities seem to protect you against Alzheimer’s to some…
