Study Shows Vaccinations Can Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, According to University of Texas Research
Houston, TX – A recent study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston reveals that individuals aged 65 and over who have received vaccinations are significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, this study emphasizes the importance of vaccinations in protecting against both infectious diseases and dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease currently affects over 6 million people in the United States, and with the nation’s aging population, this number is expected to rise. As such, the findings of this study hold significant implications for elderly individuals and their overall brain health.
The research highlights the role of childhood vaccinations, explaining that most people receive routine vaccinations during their early years to protect against infectious diseases. However, vaccines for other serious illnesses are equally crucial for older individuals due to similar reasons. For children, tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, and pneumococcal infection vaccines are commonly administered. Vaccines for tetanus and diphtheria are often bundled together, with some including the whooping cough vaccine. The pneumococcal infection vaccine is recommended for children under five and adults aged 65 and over. Additionally, individuals above 50 in the US and those over 70 in countries like Australia and the UK are advised to receive vaccines to safeguard against shingles.
Interestingly, a previous study published in the same journal discovered that individuals who had received at least one influenza vaccine were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who were unvaccinated within the same age range. This finding prompted further investigation.
“We were wondering whether the influenza finding was specific to the flu vaccine. This data revealed that several additional adult vaccines were also associated with a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s,” explained Paul Schulz, corresponding author of the study.
Schulz added, “We and others hypothesize that the immune system is responsible for causing brain cell dysfunction in Alzheimer’s. The findings suggest to us that vaccination is having a more general effect on the immune system that is reducing the risk for developing Alzheimer’s.”
Avram Bukhbinder, one of the study’s co-authors, expanded on this hypothesis, stating, “Vaccines may change how the immune system responds to the build-up of toxic proteins that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, such as by enhancing the efficiency of the immune cells at clearing the toxic proteins or by ‘honing’ the immune response to these proteins so that ‘collateral damage’ to nearby healthy brain cells is decreased.”
While the evidence from this study is compelling, the researchers acknowledge the need for further studies to precisely measure the effectiveness of vaccines in protecting against Alzheimer’s disease.
In summary, this research from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston underscores the importance of vaccinations in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. As the number of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s continues to grow, the insights gained from this study can encourage individuals, especially those aged 65 and over, to prioritize vaccinations as a means of safeguarding their brain health.