Health
Alzheimer’s on mother’s side of the family could increase disease risk, study finds
Having a mother with Alzheimer’s could lead to a higher risk of inherited disease than a paternal history.
That’s according to a recent study from Mass General Brigham. Researchers analyzed 4,400 adults between ages 65 and 85 who did not have any signs of cognitive decline, but did have amyloid show up in brain-imaging scans.
The people with the higher amounts of amyloid were more likely to have mothers with symptoms of Alzheimer’s — primarily memory loss, the researchers found.
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Amyloid, a protein that builds up in the brain and forms plaques that affect cognitive function, is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
The findings were published in JAMA Neurology in June.
Having a mother with Alzheimer’s could lead to a higher risk of inherited disease than a paternal history, a new study has found. (iStock)
“Our study showed a striking asymmetry in the impact of maternal versus paternal history of dementia on the risk of offsprings’ brain amyloid-beta protein accumulation, with maternal history having a greater impact,” senior corresponding author Hyun-Sik Yang, M.D., a neurologist at Mass General Brigham, told Fox News Digital via email.
“In our study, maternal history of dementia increased their children’s risk of having preclinical AD, while paternal history had less impact.”
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The researchers — a collaborative team from Mass General Brigham, Vanderbilt and Stanford — expected to see similar genetic risks to be passed down by mothers and fathers, Yang noted.
“Our results suggest otherwise, raising intriguing questions about AD genetics and how AD risk is inherited,” he said.
“In our study, maternal history of dementia increased their children’s risk of having preclinical AD, while paternal history had less impact,” a researcher said. (iStock)
The participants in the study had what is referred to as “preclinical Alzheimer’s disease,” Yang noted, which occurs when there is amyloid buildup but no symptoms.
“This stage might represent a unique opportunity to treat AD before it irreversibly destroys the brain,” he said.
The researchers also found a correlation between amyloid buildup and a history of Alzheimer’s on both sides of the family, as well as fathers with early-onset dementia.
“It’s interesting from a genetic perspective to see one sex contributing something the other sex isn’t.”
“If your father had early onset symptoms, that is associated with elevated levels in the offspring,” said Mabel Seto, PhD, first author and a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Neurology at the Brigham, in a press release.
“However, it doesn’t matter when your mother started developing symptoms — if she did at all, it’s associated with elevated amyloid.”
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Women are nearly twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men, according to data from the Alzheimer’s Society.
“It’s really interesting from a genetic perspective to see one sex contributing something the other sex isn’t,” Seto said.
Limitations of the study
Courtney Kloske, PhD, director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, Illinois, was not involved in the study but shared her insights on the findings.
“This study sheds light on the interplay between genetics and cognition in individuals with a family history of cognitive decline,” Kloske told Fox News Digital in an email.
A protein called amyloid that builds up in the brain and forms plaques — affecting cognitive function — is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock)
The expert did point out some limitations in the study, which the researchers also acknowledged.
“The authors mention that their findings should be interpreted cautiously,” she said.
One key limitation was that the study participants self-reported their family history, which could introduce some degree of bias or inaccuracy.
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“Additionally, the generally longer lifespan of women compared to men may contribute to the higher observed prevalence of cognitive impairment among women,” Kloske added.
Yang also spoke to this limitation, adding that the study participants were older adults and that the average life expectancy was shorter in their parents’ generation, especially for males.
While having elevated amyloid levels significantly increases the risk of someone eventually having dementia, more research is needed to determine the full impact of family history on the course of Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Newsroom)
“That might have made it even more challenging to assess the actual risk of dementia in their fathers, as they might have passed away before getting to the age when dementia becomes more prevalent,” he said.
Another consideration, according to Kloske, is that the parents in the current study lived in a “different, earlier era” when women were less likely to be in the workforce and had lower levels of education.
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“These trends limit the generalizability of these results,” she said.
Yang also reiterated that none of the study participants had dementia — “we asked about their family history and matched them with the amyloid PET scan results.”
While having elevated amyloid levels significantly increases the risk of someone eventually having dementia, Yang noted, more research is needed to determine the full impact of family history on the course of Alzheimer’s disease.
Women are nearly twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men, according to data from the Alzheimer’s Society. (iStock)
“We think it is important for doctors evaluating dementia patients to gather detailed family history information, including the history of both parents and their age at onset if there was a memory loss or dementia history,” he said.
It is also important to seek out ways to decrease the risk, especially if someone has a family history, according to the researcher.
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“Lifestyle and environmental factors are thought to play a significant role in dementia risk,” Yang said.
“I always tell my patients to focus on a healthy lifestyle, such as a heart-healthy diet, regular physical activity, and a socially and intellectually active lifestyle.”
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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