Researchers say bacteria can travel from the nasal cavity into the brain, creating markers they say are “a tell-tale sign of Alzheimer’s disease.” Loss of smell can be an early sign, and the risk factor increases with age.
And that’s not even the only danger of picking…
Researchers warn nose picking and plucking nasal hairs can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia
Researchers from Griffith University in Australia have published a new study in the journal Scientific Reports, directly linking Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with nose picking and nasal hair plucking.
Research showed that the bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae can travel directly from the olfactory nerve in the nose and into the brain, Neuroscience News reported.
Scientists explained that the olfactory nerve serves as “an invasion path to assault the central nervous system.” Cells in the brain respond to the attack by depositing amyloid beta protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, the New York Post reported.
Loss of sense of smell may be early warning sign
The researchers said a loss of the sense of smell could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s. They recommended smell tests for people aged 60 and up as an early detection of potential development.
“Once you get over 65 years old, your factor goes right up,” said professor James St. John, the study’s co-author and head of the Clem Jones Center for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research. “We’re looking at other causes as well, because it’s not just age — it is environmental exposure as well. And we think that bacteria and viruses are critical.”
The researchers point out, however, that the study was only conducted on mice.
“We need to do this study in humans and confirm whether the same pathway operates in the same way,” St. John said.
Nose picking or wiping and pneumonia
Nose picking can spread bacteria such as Staphylococcus. A study published in the European Respiratory Journal showed that pneumonia can be transferred between the hands and nose, whether wet or dry, and whether people pick or simply rub their noses.
Pneumonia is responsible for 1.3 million deaths in children under five years of age around the world each year and is a major cause of death among all people.
