The Flu Shot’s Unexpected Benefit
Recent research from UTHealth Houston has brought to light a surprising potential benefit of the influenza vaccine.
According to the study, people who received at least one flu shot were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over a span of four years compared to their non-vaccinated counterparts.
Investigating the Link Between Flu Vaccination and Alzheimer’s Risk
The study was led by Dr. Avram S. Bukhbinder, an alumnus of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and Dr. Paul E. Schulz, the Rick McCord Professor in Neurology at the same institution.
The researchers compared Alzheimer’s disease incidence among older U.S. adults who had received a flu vaccine and those who hadn’t.
Their findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Interestingly, the protective effect of the flu vaccine against Alzheimer’s seemed to strengthen with every year that a person received their annual shot.
Thus, Alzheimer’s incidence was lowest among those who consistently got vaccinated against the flu every year.
A More In-depth Look at the Study
The research comes two years after UTHealth Houston researchers first found a possible link between the flu vaccine and a reduced Alzheimer’s risk.
The new study expanded on this early work by analyzing a much larger sample—over 1.8 million patients, half of whom had received a flu vaccine.
After four years, the researchers found that about 5.1% of the flu-vaccinated patients had developed Alzheimer’s, compared to 8.5% of the non-vaccinated patients.
The significant difference indicates a strong protective effect of the flu vaccine against Alzheimer’s.
The Role of the Immune System
Despite these promising findings, the researchers note that the underlying mechanisms behind this protection still need to be explored. They speculate that the immune system plays a vital role.
“Many vaccines seem to protect from Alzheimer’s, which suggests it’s not a specific effect of the flu vaccine,” says Dr. Schulz.
“We think the immune system is complex and can be activated in ways that either worsen or improve Alzheimer’s outcomes. We need to learn more about this.”
Broader Implications and Future Directions
Alzheimer’s affects over 6 million people in the U.S., a number that is growing as the population ages.
Earlier research has linked various adult vaccines, including tetanus, polio, and herpes, along with the flu shot, to a decreased dementia risk.
Moreover, as more time passes since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, it might be worth investigating if there’s a similar association between this vaccine and Alzheimer’s risk, according to Dr. Bukhbinder.
If you care about Alzheimer’s disease, please read studies about the blood test that can predict dementia, Alzheimer’s 5 years early, and one year of this exercise training may reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information about Alzheimer’s, please see recent studies that Coconut oil may help improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s, and results showing strawberries could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
