A HERPES LINK
TO ALZHEIMER’S
Could that pesky cold sore be
responsible for your unreliable
memory? Multiple studies suggest
that there’s a link between several
common herpes viruses and the
onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
In one study, at least 70 percent
of elderly people, including those
with Alzheimer’s, had HSV- 1 (the
herpes simplex virus that causes cold
sores) in their brains. Moreover, those
who had both HSV- 1 and the APOE e4
gene, which has already been linked
to Alzheimer’s, were much more
likely to develop the brain disease
than those without either.
Meanwhile, a 2018 analysis of
nearly 1,000 brains from brain banks
showed a strong connection between
Alzheimer’s and the human herpes
viruses HHV-6A and HHV-7, which
lead to the childhood rash roseola.
While neither of these studies
proves that herpes viruses cause
Alzheimer’s, a third study
found that patients infected
with herpes who had sought
antiviral treatment
(using drugs
such as
acyclovir)
cut their risk
of developing
dementia later in life
by a factor of ten.BIG FOOD
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