Although medical researchers are unable to pinpoint the exact cause of Alzheimer’s, many studies link exposure to certain chemicals, medications, and even emotions to heightening the risk of developing the disease.
Here are ten alarming and lesser-known triggers for Alzheimer’s disease:
1. Medication
According to the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, taking certain prescription and even easily accessible over-the-counter drugs can raise the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia. Notably prescription tricyclic antidepressants (i.e., doxepin) and antimuscarinic drugs prescribed for better bladder control (i.e., oxybutynin) have been linked to increasing the likelihood of dementia. Whereas, certain nonprescription antihistamines (i.e., chlorpheniramine and Benadryl) have also been linked to developing dementia.
2. Lack of Exercise
There are more active ways to promote brain health than just doing the Thursday crossword puzzle. Researchers from the Alzheimer’s Association (AA) say that physical activity, particularly of the aerobic nature, helps protect brain function and staves off brain diseases, like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
In fact, a 2015 study from the AA showed that individuals who make an aerobic activity a part of their daily lifestyle decrease brain disease risk by over 50-percent. So if you want to ward off Alzheimer’s and dementia—get moving!
3. Depression
Much of science focuses on the external, or environmental, factors associated with increased Alzheimer’s risk. However, a 2010 report featured in the journal Neurology points out that state of mind can have a big impact on our health.
The study claims a significant mind-body connection stemming from depression, which affects the individual risk of developing both dementia and Alzheimer’s. For instance, adult patients who showed signs of depression increased were 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s compared to patients with no symptoms of depression.
4. Negative Thoughts on Aging
Perhaps an extension on the previous slide…psychologists from the Yale School of Public Health claims that your beliefs about growing older can largely impact your prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.
For instance, researchers found that individuals who thought about aging in a negative light experienced pathological brain changes that spiked the risk of cognitive impairment. Study researcher, Dr. Becca Levy, noted that “…negative beliefs about aging can be mitigated, and positive beliefs about aging can be reinforced so that the adverse impact [Alzheimer’s] is not inevitable.”
5. Exposure to Lead
Researchers have long linked high blood levels of lead to an increased risk of heart disease. However, more recently lead exposure and the presence of oxidative stress and heavy metals have been linked to decreased IQ and increased dementia risk.
For instance, a 2009 study published by the journal Neurology noted that adults with elevated lead levels in their blood (21-percent or more) were prone to high blood pressure, which can cause oxidative stress and inflammation of the brain and body.
6. Insecticides
Research links toxic insecticides (i.e., DDT and DDE) to increased Alzheimer’s risk, which led to the 1972 banning of DDT in the U.S. But despite the ban, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that humans can still be exposed to these toxins via chemical pesticides in the environment—namely through food sources like fish, poultry, and dairy.
For instance, data from the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) specifically found that individuals with increased blood levels of insecticides were significantly at risk of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. These findings identify a new risk that can be tested to help aid earlier diagnosis.
7. Previous Head Trauma
Research done by Glenn Smith, Ph.D. from the Mayo Clinic suggests that severe head-related injuries with the greatest increased risk of future dementia are those in which the individual is unconscious for more than 24 hours. Similarly, head injuries that result in unconsciousness from anywhere between 30 minutes and 24 hours also have a slightly less increased risk.
Of course, repeated head injuries put individuals at risk for potential problems with thinking and cognitive reasoning. Wearing a helmet could potentially prevent the risk of Alzheimer’s!
8. Diabetes
Alzheimer’s and Type II Diabetes are more related than you’d think! They share the same cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, and poor blood circulation. Individuals who develop Type II Diabetes midlife are at a higher risk of vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s because these conditions are essentially the third type of Diabetes.
According to the Alzheimer Society Canada, “people with Alzheimer’s disease are in a diabetic state, partly due to the decrease in or insensitivity to insulin.”
9. Loneliness
Humans are social creatures, and they crave social interaction. While some of us are a little more introverted and prefer to avoid too many social gatherings or interactions, research shows that people in late life who feel lonely are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease.
The Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago published in the Archives of General Psychiatry that feeling of loneliness rather than actual social isolation is a risk factor. The reasoning being that feelings of loneliness or negative emotions affect brain development.
10. Rosacea
Danish researchers found a link between Alzheimer’s and rosacea, the chronic inflammatory skin disorder in elderly patients. Rosacea produces higher levels of matrix metalloproteinases and antimicrobial peptide proteins that are responsible for brain-wasting disorders.
The study printed in the Annals of Neurology concluded that patients with Rosacea had a 7% higher risk of Alzheimer’s. Out of those people, women with rosacea were 28% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, where men were only 16% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
