Scientists discover 'scary' link between nose-picking and dementia. The risk is higher for people over 65.
The act of picking the nose is gross but common. In an older study, 91% of participants confessed to picking their noses, while 75% said "everyone does it," per Medical News Today. Now, a recent study has revealed that apart from being an unhealthy habit, nose-picking also has a major link to early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, per Science Alert. A study published by Scientific Reports revealed that certain bacteria associated with Alzheimer's can increase the risk of the condition due to nose-picking. The risk is said to be higher for elderly people over the age of 65.
A lot of people pick their noses—toddlers, children, adults, and senior citizens. They do it for various reasons, including cleaning out nostrils, nasal structures, and other nasal conditions. But it may have a greater impact on our health. Researchers led by a team from Griffith University, Australia, conducted a test on mice with the bacterium called Chlamydia pneumoniae. It is responsible for causing an infection in humans, resulting in pneumonia. It has also been connected to late-onset dementia, per another study.
The bacteria could travel up the olfactory nerve that joins the nasal cavity and the brain, per the study. Furthermore, damage to the nasal epithelium (the thin tissue along the roof of the nasal cavity) nerve caused an increase in the infection. This increase led to deposits of amyloid-beta protein–a protein released in response to infections. It is this same protein found in higher concentrations in people with Alzheimer's. What is more surprising is that once the bacteria got hold of the central nervous system of the mice, the infection began spreading within 24 to 72 hours. These observations implied important factors noted by the researchers.
"We're the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly up the nose and into the brain where it can set off pathologies that look like Alzheimer's disease," Neuroscientist James St John revealed. He added that though the study was on mice, it posed a “potentially scary” threat to human beings as well. What does this have to do with nose-picking? Picking your nose or pulling your nostril hair can cause damage to the nasal tissue, making it vulnerable to bacteria. “We don’t want to damage the inside of our nose and picking and plucking can do that. If you damage the lining of the nose, you can increase how many bacteria can go up into your brain,” the neuroscientist added.
“Once you get over 65 years old, your risk factor goes right up, but we’re looking at other causes as well. It’s not just age–it is environmental exposure as well. And we think that bacteria and viruses are critical,” he mentioned. The researchers are hoping to study further and see whether human beings have the same pathway and can be affected as the study implies. "It's research that has been proposed by many people but not yet completed. What we do know is that these same bacteria are present in humans, but we haven't worked out how they get there,” St John explained.