In the news

Vaccines and the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

            Vaccines are among humanity’s greatest triumphs. It is no exaggeration that since Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine in the late 18^th century, billions of lives have been saved by his and subsequent discoveries. In recent years a new benefit has emerged: several routine vaccines lower the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. The new (since 2018) shingles vaccine has been shown to lower the risk by about 20 percent. For the influenza vaccine the benefit is even more dramatic – up to 50 percent. The pneumococcal vaccine has more profound effects. Not only does it protect seniors from what used to be the most common form of pneumonia, it lowers the incidence of ear infections and other illnesses in children, and its routine use in childhood provides somewhat of a herd immunity that protects adults not yet old enough to receive it as well. And it has now been shown to reduce the risk of dementia. Even the DPT (Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus) vaccine, which has been around for nearly a century, shows the same effect, and so does the hepatitis vaccine. Even the new RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccine is now included in that Alzheimer’s-protective group.

            I have not found any articles linking the measles vaccine with such a protective effect, but that formerly common childhood disease causes inflammation within the brain in about half of its victims, and I will not be surprised if there is found to be a brain benefit from that vaccine as well.

            More than likely there is more than one mechanism at work. Preventing those diseases, several of which have been shown to damage brain cells, may be one reason. Another might be that by stimulating the immune system, a parallel effect may lower inflammation within the brain that, over decades, results in Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

            But wait! There’s more! Further exploration of this phenomenon in the years to come may reveal more about the fundamental nature of Alzheimer’s Disease, so that our grandchildren and their descendants will no longer be ravaged by one of the most tragic diseases of elderhood.

Lifestyle

Grumpy old men – a fishy tale

            Grumpy old men, the 1992 film starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, described the antics of a couple of aging fishermen. It’s obvious from the title of the movie that they didn’t eat their catch. All seafood, especially fish, is an excellent source of omega-3 fats, called “essential” because the body has no or limited ability to manufacture them. Those nutrients are necessary for the normal development and function of the brain and eyes, as well as other elements of the nervous system. Moreover, omega-3s are abundant in the frontal cortex, which is responsible for personality and behavior, as well as short-term memory.

            No wonder they were grumpy!