A study from last year identified an unexpected source of protection against Alzheimer’s disease: clonal hematopoiesis. Learn more on WorldAlzheimersDay. ⬇️
Medicine so far has nothing to offer that clearly prevents Alzheimer’s disease, although keeping your weight down, exercising regularly, and inheriting certain beneficial genes can lower your risk. Now, a study has identified another, unexpected source of protection: clonal hematopoiesis, a blood cell imbalance best known as a risk factor for cancer and heart disease.
Charles Darwin probably never imagined that natural selection unfolds in our bone marrow. But clonal hematopoiesis results from competition among the 50,000 to 200,000 stem cells that dwell there and divide to produce all our red and white blood cells. Over the years these stem cells accrue mutations, some of which result in a “fitter” cell whose progeny, known collectively as a clone, can soon outnumber their counterparts.
When the scientists analyzed DNA sequences from the blood cells of more than 5700 people and compared the data with Alzheimer’s incidence, they were stunned to see that clonal hematopoiesis has a substantial effect on developing the disease. But rather than increasing the risk, it appeared to make people 30% to 40% less likely to suffer from the illness. That’s a larger protective effect than any other factor identified so far, Jaiswal says.