A research team in Australia, led by Dr. Emmanuel Adewuyi, took a close look at the genetic data of 400,000 individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and gut disorders. The data was sourced from several genome-wide association studies that have made their data publicly available.
The researchers started this project with the goal of better understanding the link between Alzheimer’s disease and gut disorders. The data revealed genetic overlap between individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and five gut disorders. Specifically, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), gastritis-duodenitis (GD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and diverticulosis had several genes in common with Alzheimer’s disease.
In research terms, findings revealed a positive correlation between genes related to Alzheimer’s disease and each of the five gut disorders, implying there is a meaningful relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and each gut disorder. Interestingly, the study also observed that individuals diagnosed with both Alzheimer’s disease and a gut disorder were also more likely to have abnormal cholesterol levels.
This research discovered which specific genes Alzheimer’s disease and gut disorders have in common, providing a unique insight into further understanding these diseases. According to Dr. Adewuyi, “This improves our understanding of the causes of these conditions and identifies new targets to investigate to potentially detect the disease earlier and develop new treatments for both types of conditions.” Future research can focus on these specific genes to learn more about the connection.
The research team is from Edith Cowan University’s Centre for Precision Health located in Joondalup, Australia. Study results were recently published in the peer-reviewed Communications Biology journal.