The cause of Alzheimer’s may lie within your mouth

Alzheimer’s is the most popular reason of dementia in the UK, NHS notes. The exact cause of it is not fully understood such as increasing age, untreated depression, a family history of the condition, and lifestyle factors and conditions linked to cardiovascular diseases, among the rest.

However, in recent years, an increasing number of scientific studies have found that Alzheimer’s isn’t just a disease, but an infection.

A 2019 study finds that Alzheimer’s may be connected to gum disease.

“Infectious agents have been implied in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease before, but the evidence of causation hasn’t been convincing,” Dr. Stephen Dominy, Cortexyme co-founder, explained.

Looking at gingipains, the toxic enzymes of P. gingivalis, scientists explored that high gingipain levels were related to the presence of two other proteins already linked with the development of Alzheimer’s: tau and ubiquitin.

However, the team also found the presence of these toxic gingipains in the brains of deceased patients who were never diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

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