Tag Archive for: flu vaccination

How Can Vaccinations Reduce Alzheimer’s Disease?

In reading possible explanations for the potential benefits of flu vaccinations for reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it always comes back to reducing inflammation. Further, it isn’t just the flu vaccine that seems to have that effect. Pneumonia, DTAP booster, shingles, and others have also been studied with similar results: vaccinations seem to reduce the risk of AD. The question is still why? I’ll give you two possibilities.

Vaccines Stimulate the Immune System

Whenever you get a vaccination, the immune system is stimulated. It may be that the activated system addresses weaknesses in the immune system that should be protecting the nervous system. Some researchers speculate it may reduce the formation of amyloid bodies (sticky proteins that harm the brain) and prevent the progression of dementia.

One thing to remember is the population being studied. It might be that, in spite of lifestyle habits, inflammation increases as we age, specifically in the brain. Some people may have genetics that can help. However, it may not just be the nervous system in the brain that’s at risk from increased inflammation. There is an increase in cardiac arrythmias of all types, decreases in muscle function, and many other effects that we attribute to simple aging. It may not be as simple as working hard on a healthy lifestyle, and it may exceed our attempts at living healthier.

Viral Infections Cause Inflammation

“I never get sick!” I’ve heard that a time or two. My question is “How do you know?” Maybe you’re sick, but your immune system has fought off all the symptoms you expect. The assumption is that every virus you get exposed to will leave you with some form of physical manifestation: a cough or runny nose during a cold, vomiting or diarrhea with a food-borne pathogen, or a fever from the flu.

But how do you know that you’re not in a state of inflammation, wreaking havoc on your nervous system, your heart, or another organ? You think your immune system isn’t working even though you don’t “feel” it? It can be. If we’re not flat on our backs, we don’t think we are undergoing immune system challenges. That’s simply not reality, and the problem is that the challenges get worse as we get older.

The Bottom Line

I think this research causes a dilemma for some people: vaccinate or not? As we get older, our immune system doesn’t work as well. Let’s be honest: lots of things don’t work as well, but we’re still kicking, darn it! What we could ignore in our youth now demands our attention. Yes, we need a healthy lifestyle that includes a better diet, a little exercise, and some immune-boosting supplements such as vitamin D and C.

The challenge is the anti-science climate we now live in, and nothing is more controversial than talking about vaccinations. Opinions may be based on flawed science—or in some cases, no science, just opinion—and access to social media where people can say anything they want to say. For me, the science is pointing to benefits from vaccinations if you’re older than 65. Just spread them out over a few weeks or months to give your immune system a chance to adapt.

Whatever you decide to do, it’s your body. It’s your choice.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. J Alz Dis. 88 (2022). 1061–1074. DOI 10.3233/JAD-220361
2. Vaccine. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.08.046

Flu Shots and Alzheimer’s Disease

One of the benefits of large cross-sectional studies, especially in the age of electronic medical records, is that medical tests and treatments can be examined while examining diagnoses at the same time. The Veterans Health Administration is one of many medical databases that can identify relationships between health factors and the onset of disease.

In a recent study, researchers used a large medical records database called Optum Clinformatics Data Mart. The methodology section was long, but essentially they divided potential subjects into those who did not get a flu vaccination at all and those who got at least one flu vaccination every year or more. They identified their potential subject list and then tracked them for four years to see if they received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In case you were wondering, people under 65 were excluded because AD does not manifest itself appreciably until after that age.

The results were more than a little interesting. Those who got at least one flu shot had a 40% reduced risk of getting diagnosed with AD. Before you even think, as I would have, “How many subjects were there?”–there were close to a million subjects in each group. The better question is how would a vaccination reduce the risk of getting AD? We’ll examine that question on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Alz Dis. 88 (2022). 1061–1074. DOI 10.3233/JAD-220361