According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 14 million adults will have dementia by 2060. Alzheimer's disease — the most common form of dementia for which there is no effective conventional treatment or cure — currently affects an estimated 5.8 million Americans, up from 5.4 million in 2016. According to a study published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, researchers have created a vaccine that they say can both prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease, and it could be ready for human trials in as little as 18 months.
Developed by endocrinologist Nikolai Petrovsky, the vaccine combines two treatments that were previously designed to reduce amyloid and tau protein clumps. Researchers say the vaccine is able to prevent protein buildup and remove buildups that already exist.
Petrovsky told ABC News Australia, "We were able to prevent the memory loss in the mice and obviously the next step is to take this into human clinical trials. It's an exciting time to be starting the new decade – hopefully this is the breakthrough of the next decade if we can get it to work in the human trials."
It's often said that the underlying causes of Alzheimer's disease are unknown, but there's no shortage of theories. Insulin resistance appears to be one significant factor, but it's not the only one. Based on the available science, here are several other prominent or likely culprits that can raise your risk of Alzheimer's disease:
• High-sugar, processed food diets
• Alcohol abuse
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Low omega-3 level
• Lack of sun exposure
• Prion infection
• Environmental toxins, including EMFs
• Inactivity or lack of exercise
• Hypertension and heart disease
• Genetic predisposition
Would you get a vaccine intended to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s?