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The Link Between This Common Winter Illness And Alzheimer’s Disease

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The Link Between This Common Winter Illness And Alzheimer’s Disease about undefined
‘Tis the season to be… sick. It’s winter, and we’re already facing the “tripledemic” of COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). And while the possibility of having any of these viruses is scary, there’s one you will want to avoid at all costs. I’m talking about COVID-19. Scientists have known for some time that getting COVID-19 can cause long-term health issues like fatigue, breathing problems, and pain. And now research shows that this infection can also put you on the fast track to Alzheimer’s! Here’s everything you need to know… A 2021 study of a group of 13,001 adults who had contracted COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 found that more than ten percent of participants reported memory loss eight months after their first positive test.1 Now, ten percent may not seem like a big number. But when you think of it as one in every ten COVID-19 survivors, it seems like a HUGE number of people being impacted.

Forgetfulness, Language Problems And More… 

Research from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Long School of Medicine and the Alzheimer’s Association-led global SARS-CoV-2 consortium found that half of the seniors studied who had COVID-19 in the past three to six months experienced forgetfulness. Even worse? A quarter of them had difficulties with language and executive function. “We’re starting to see clear connections between COVID-19 and problems with cognition months after infection,” said lead researcher Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin, M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc. Another study showed that COVID-19 patients presenting with neurological symptoms – like memory loss and language issues – consistently have biological markers in their blood that indicate brain injury, neuroinflammation, and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, M.D., a professor of neurology, pathology, and psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine and lead researcher, reports, “These findings suggest that patients who had COVID-19 may have an acceleration of Alzheimer’s related symptoms and pathology.”2 And a 2022 study shows that Dr. Wisniewksi just may be right.

82 Percent Higher Risk Of Alzheimer’s 

For the research, scientists looked at the medical records of more than 6.2 million seniors who received medical care between February 2020 and May 2021. After scouring the data, they found that seniors who’ve had COVID-19 have an up to 82 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease within a year!3 Just imagine what getting COVID-19 could mean for your future… and the future of your loved ones. Experts believe the excess inflammation caused by the infection is the underlying cause of long-term memory issues and speeds up the Alzheimer’s disease process. Ok, enough of the bad news. The good news is that there are easy ways to protect yourself from COVID-19 as we get deeper into the colder winter months.

Stay Healthy This Winter and Always 

Like you’ve been doing for three years, keep washing your hands and wear a mask in crowded areas. These two easy precautions will help you stay clear of COVID-19, RSV, and the flu. And to combat inflammation, you can turn to a supplement called N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC). NAC is an essential precursor to glutathione – the “master antioxidant” – that can help shield your body from the type of inflammation that triggers the Alzheimer’s disease process.4 You can pick up NAC supplements at your local pharmacy. Our sister company, Green Valley Natural Solutions, also developed a N-acetyl-cysteine anti-aging formula to fight damage from free radicals and inflammation. It’s called Vital Force. This revolutionary formula contains N-acetyl-cysteine along with the mother of all antioxidants, glutathione, to support your body’s ability to fight back against aging. You can learn more about it here.
  1. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2782531 
  2. https://aaic.alz.org/downloads2021/COVID-19_and_Long-Term_Cognitive_Dysfunction.pdf 
  3. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-09-16/covid-appears-to-raise- risk-for-alzheimers-disease 
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7402141/ 

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