The Connection Between Cognitive Decline and Autoimmunity

According to the Alzheimer’s Organization, 500,000 Americans develop Alzheimer’s disease (AD) each year. In fact, AD is responsible for killing more Americans than prostate and breast cancer combined.  The latest research shows that environmental triggers play an influential role in the development of AD. Once thought to be contracted primarily through genetics, scientists have learned that over 95 percent of Alzheimer’s cases are the result of environmental factors. Scientists have shown that the development of AD is based on ongoing inflammation, and the buildup of two proteins in the brain called amyloid-beta and tau, which are involved in plaque and tangle formation.

The cause of the inflammation and buildup of these proteins rests in the immune reactivity caused by environmental, internal and external triggers that are involved in amyloid plaque and tangle formation. When detected, the immune system produces antibodies to attack and neutralize environmental antigens. The problem is that sometimes the antibodies also attack self-tissues, which have a similar structure to the antigen. This is known as … Click HERE to continue reading