A new study has put forward a theory that nose-blowing could play a role in increasing the risk of developing the diseaseAlzheimer's disease. As collected Science AlertThe study's hypothesis is based on the idea that bacteria and viruses from fingers easily enter our systems if you introduce them through your nose.
The olfactory system, located in the roof of the nasal cavity, has a direct pathway from areas of the brain destroyed by Alzheimer's disease, such as the hippocampus. This may be crucial to weighing that risk, says the team behind the review, from Western University Sydneyin Australia.
“Many potential factors can contribute to the development of a diseaseAlzheimer's diseaseincluding amyloid peptide and tau deposition, but recent evidence suggests that neuroinflammation may also play a role, at least in part, in the pathogenesis of the disease,” the researchers wrote in their paper published in the journal. Biomolecules.
“In recent years, emerging research has explored the possible involvement of exogenous invasive pathogens in initiating or accelerating neuroinflammatory processes in Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's disease», the text continues.
As the review continues to investigate, blow your nose (or… Renotelxomaniain its technical name) can indirectly lead to encephalitis, and there are two ways in which this can happen.
First, blowing our nose means that anything on our fingertips (such as pathogens) is pushed into the brain. Second, blowing things out your nose affects the balance of your microbiome, which can make it a less effective barrier for your body.
As the researchers point out, nose cleaning has previously been linked to increased risk Gran Infection: A study published last year showed a link between habit and the possibility of contracting Covid-19, for example.
In 2022, another study linked nasal necrosis to Alzheimer's disease, although the research in this case focused on mice. Show that Danny In the nasal epithelium (the tissue that lines the nasal cavity) it can increase the risk of infection, which may cause a response in the brain similar to that seen in Alzheimer's patients.
Other indicators noted by the review include that some viruses are regularly found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, and that signs of the disease are often first detected in the olfactory bulb, the part of the brain that detects smells.
Science is still far from definitively concluding that blowing your nose increases your risk of Alzheimer's disease, but the signs are there. Understanding the potential role of olfactory pathogen entry in associated neuroinflammationEssam “It opens new horizons for prevention,” the researchers write. “Among all the routes of entry, improving hand hygiene can be a simple preventive step, as we have seen in the COVID-19 pandemic.” They conclude.
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