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Alzheimer’s Risk Increased Due To Environmental Neurotoxin

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"blue green algae"

For the first time in history, it was found that Alzheimer’s risk increased due to environmental neurotoxin in both humans and primates subjected to testing. The neurodegenerative disease is on the rise, and it’s believed to be caused by two factors. One is age and the other is the advancement in medicine which allows for quicker and more accurate testing.

BMAA found in algae and seafood

However, it appears that scientists have found the first environmental factor which can prompt the disease later in life. According to a team of researchers, the toxin beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) was found in a common species of algae, along with several types of seafood. The damaging compound has been discovered in French mussels, oysters, and other types of edible creatures that dwell in the sea.

It doesn’t even have to reach humans directly. The plants can enter the food chain easily after being ingested by fish. Experts are warning that BMAA can increase the risk of certain brain diseases, such as dementia, ALS, or Alzheimer’s.

Their assessment arrives after examining the brain tangles and amyloid plaques in the brains of people who died from the disease in Guam. The potentially damaging BMAA was first tracked down to the Pacific Island in 1967, and recent tests have shown that it can create Alzheimer’s-like effects on the brain. The researchers conducted an experiment on monkeys, dividing them in groups and testing the consequences of BMAA exposure.

Effects took place in less than 5 months

They conducted the trials on vervets, a species of primates, where one group was fed a diet rich in BMAA, another a smaller amount of BMAA, the third an equal amount of BMAA and L-serine, and the fourth posed as a control group on a fruit diet. Around 140 days later, the researchers examined their results. They found that monkes who were served food rich in BMAA presented with neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques deposits, both of which are indicative of Alzheimer’s.

According to co-author fo the study, Deborah Mash, the study proves the cause-and-effect relationship between BMAA and neurodegenerative diseases. The deposits that grew into the monkeys’ brains were similar to those of the Pacific Islanders in Guam who died from the Alzheimer’s-like condition. Paul Cox stated that they have, thus, found a potentially “very worrying” third factor that might increase the risk of such life-crippling conditons.

And, unfortunately, the neurotoxin is found in a very common type of algae and certain types of seafood.

Further exposure to BMAA can enhance the worldwide’s population risk of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s, or ALS. Without a cure to the disease, it will increase numbers. That makes every bit of information crucial for the millions of people who will be diagnosed in the future.

Image source: johanpaul.com

Scientists Found That The Black Death Was Hiding In Europe

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"black plague"

By reconstructing its genome, scientists found that the Black Death was hiding in Europe in between plagues that devastated the population. It’s known as the most catastrophic epidemic in the history of mankind. Modern strains are much less effective, but it wrecked havoc on the European population.

To this day, there are still several mysteries regarding the Black Plague. Questions have remained unanswered in spite of its worldwide-known and tragic consequences. In the 14th century, it’s estimated that the disease wiped off between 30 to 50% of Europe’s entire population in just 5 years. It spread quickly and there are still doubts in regards its origin.

Experts believe flea-infested rats encouraged the spreading of the disease, with the pests carrying the disease. With lack of hygiene and numerous trading ships that arrived with both cargo and rats among it, it allowed for the Black Death to run rampant. However, throughout centuries, it began to die out with no firm explanation as to how. Its appearance and disappearance were both a mystery.

Researchers from the Max Plank Institute (MPI) in Germany claim to have reconstructed the genome of the infamous Black Death. This has been achievable by studying DNA remnants from teeth samples of victims who had perished in Marseille in the 18th century. The Great Plague of Marseille took place between 1720 and 1722, commonly believed to be the last true outbreak of the plague in Europe.

According to Alexander Herbig from the MPI, they were surprised to find that the strain of Black Death from the 18th century is extinct today. Furthermore, it’s a direct descendant of the strain that destroyed the European population in the 14th century. That suggests that the disease was actually hiding somewhere through the continent. And that’s a “chilling thought”, according to Johannes Krause from MPI’s Department of Archaeogenetics.

It never truly disappeared

It may have been living just around the corner, waiting for the opportunity for an outbreak from a host that is still unknown. While it’s unlikely that the deadly strain is still present somewhere today, it does pose as a worrying fact. It could have arrived from anywhere in the world. Marseille was a hub of trade within the Mediterranean, so the plague could have been brought over from basically anywhere.

The study is crucial to better understanding the devastating disease. It’s a step forward in determining its geographical origins, causes, and how it was able to kill so many people in such little time. It’s undoubtedly the most famous epidemic in history, and there are still many questions surrounding its nature.

Image source: bp.blogspot.com

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