Alzheimer's might be transmissible in similar way as infectious prion diseases: study

Originally posted by Maxmars

But consider this, rather conspiratorial angle, if you will:

Should the fact be that there is a causal relationship between the advances in industrial activity, and the increase in toxic effluvium being spewed out into the environment; would the medical community tell us? Or would they instead focus on the disease symptoms and treatment, without letting us know that the blossoming of Alzheimer's and Autism are related to our modern chemical way of life?

Excellent question, OP.

And I believe that we are slowly getting our answers to that question: Yes, it's becoming more and more apparent that our ailments and diseases are mainly being caused by viruses, bacteria, toxicity, and/or chemically induced mutations as a result of heavy industry/pollution, pharmaceuticals, overpopulation, and our playing "god" with nature.

Unfortunately, I have no faith in the medical industry to actually deal with these root causes we're discovering... and instead they'll just continue to treat the symptoms as they do currently, ad nauseum.

There's no long-term monetary benefit to be made from curing diseases. *sigh*

Yes, I'm a "glass is half empty" type of person.

reply to post by Maxmars



This is a HUGE issue, and the story is ready to break. Finally.

I'll hold off on my usual rant and just focus on ONE point: how the term "prion disease" was redefined.

Originally, "prion" stood for "proteinaceous infectious particle" - meaning any protein that misfolded and became infectious in its new conformation.

But, when the corporate-government partners realized the sheer breadth of the problem, the normal brain protein infected in BSE was named "the prion protein." Since then, only those 'misfolded protein diseases' affecting "the prion protein" are defined as prion diseases.

Unfortunately, a great number of diseases are caused by infectious misfolded proteins - and "the prion diseases" are only one in that growing list:



Get ready for the quarantines.

reply to post by soficrow


Well I'll be darned.

soficrow's been posting about prions for I don't know how long.
Folks just thought she was crazy.

Guess the shoe is on the other foot now...

reply to post by makeitso



Thanks makeitso.

...and please note - the list above does NOT include AIDS and a huge number of other already-identified "misfolded protein diseases" aka prion diseases.

I've always believed the two were linked. Could Alziemers really be BSE after all?

reply to post by v1rtu0s0

I've always believed the two were linked. Could Alziemers really be BSE after all?

Linked, yes - but no, Alzheimer's is not BSE, which results when the "prion protein" mis-folds.

Alzheimer's might be a mutated strain of the BSE prion, but as you can see from the chart above, Alzheimer's results from two different mis-folded proteins - b-amyloid and Tau protein - NOT mis-folded prion proteins.

I've always been interested in this subject.

I recall a friend of mine bringing in a photograph of a cows brain with Mad Cow disease and a photo of an adult's brain suffering from Alzheimers. They looked identical.

It was then that I started to do some research on both, and continue to look into it today. One of the sad things that I came across in regards to Prions is that an "autoclave" and other normal medical methods for killing nasty-buggers does not work with prions.

One Doctor/BioChemist that I admire is Colm Kelleher who is also a research scientist and author, and was also Deputy Administrator of NIDS (National Institute Discovery Sciences). He's done intense research in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and BSE in cows. He was also interested in other scientist's research like D. Carleton Gajdusek. (Brain Trust: The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer's Disease, Simon & Schuster, 2004 ISBN 0-7434-9935-2)

"When medical researcher D. Carleton Gajdusek first visited Papua New Guinea in 1957, he found hundreds of Fore tribespeople dying from a mysterious disease they called kuru. Eventually he prepared a traveling exhibit on the disease, which was seen by an American pathologist who thought it might be related to his own work with sheep that had died from a disease called scrapie. From there and over the course of decades, scientists would eventually find a host of similarly related diseases across species and continents: kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, scrapie in sheep, BSE in cows, Chronic Wasting Disease in deer and elk, and transmissible mink encephalopathy in mink."

Kelleher’s true genius, however, is in his ability to speculate, convincingly, that the 8,902 percent increase in deaths from Alzheimer’s Disease over the past twenty-four years can be attributed to this infectious agent’s presence in the human food chain. If even half of Colm Kelleher’s "Brain Trust: The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer’s Disease" is true, the writing’s on the wall for our lives as carnivores.

I've had a ATSLive Radio Show Interview request made with an open door invitation that when Dr. Kelleher had some free time that he is welcome to come on the show anytime.

reply to post by JohnnyAnonymous

Originally posted by JohnnyAnonymous
... One of the sad things that I came across in regards to Prions is that an "autoclave" and other normal medical methods for killing nasty-buggers does not work with prions.

Nothing kills prions because they're not "alive" - sad but true.

One Doctor/BioChemist that I admire is Colm Kelleher who is also a research scientist and author,

There are numerous -and great- scientists working on prions - now that the "gag order" has been lifted, we're hearing a lot more from all of them.

"When medical researcher D. Carleton Gajdusek first visited Papua New Guinea in 1957, he found hundreds of Fore tribespeople dying from a mysterious disease they called kuru. ...

That's the mainstream story. Given Paulings' attention to proteins and the immune system, which dates back to the 1930's, I'd say the 'connections' made did NOT result from "new" information about Kuru. ...I also think there's a great deal of merit in the conspiracy theory that the -isolated- Fore tribespeople were purposefully infected to study the disease.

Kelleher’s true genius, however, is in his ability to speculate, convincingly, that the 8,902 percent increase in deaths from Alzheimer’s Disease over the past twenty-four years can be attributed to this infectious agent’s presence in the human food chain.

Kelleher spoke openly and publicly about information already well-known in the scientific community - the US squashed Prusiner's 1980's prion research, but he received an international Nobel Prize in 1998 - then Bush used a Presidential gag order to prevent scientists speaking publicly about prions.

...Kelleher is visible mainly because he squeaked under that prion gag order in the "popular" MSM.

If even half of Colm Kelleher’s "Brain Trust: The Hidden Connection Between Mad Cow and Misdiagnosed Alzheimer’s Disease" is true, the writing’s on the wall for our lives as carnivores.

The meat thing is hardly the tip of the iceberg; Mad Cow and Alzheimer's are the least of the effects. The real story is wayyy bigger. World changing bigger.

I've had a ATSLive Radio Show Interview request made with an open door invitation that when Dr. Kelleher had some free time that he is welcome to come on the show anytime.

Go for it - but if Kelleher is just riding on Brain Trust, you'll miss the real meat.

...Good post. S&

reply to post by Maxmars


There were whispers of that quite some years ago however it does'nt explain the numbers of dementia in Australia and NZ where these diseases like mad-cow are non-existant.

reply to post by bluemirage5


Prions mutate and evolve to infect any cell they might touch - which helps explain the huge range of prion diseases - AND the presence of a dementia epidemic in Australia and New Zealand, along with the absence of reported Mad Cow.

...Does that help?


Ed to finish

Just to provide another side to this, and perhaps I'll jump in tonight on ATS Live and give my opinion:

Infectious? I seriously doubt it. And the researchers are very clear that they need more experimentation to see if A) This same thing happens in humans and if B) Alzheimer's can be transmissible realistically, not through injection to the brain.

I, personally, think this is just confirming something that's already known. Alzheimer's patient's brains are full of amyloid plaques. These plaques are always associated with other metabolic byproducts, such as Advanced Glycated End-products (AGE's). AGE's are the end product of Glycated Proteins, which occurs when a protein binds to a glucose or fructose molecule (fructose being 10x more likely to cause glycation than glucose).

It's a well known biochemical fact that these AGE's cause stick around in the bloodstream and are difficult for the body to get rid of. This leads to more AGE's and, here's the important part, often times protein folding.

So, I think it's completely understandable to observe the similarity between Alzheimer's and Prion Disease progression. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see that prions are part of the neurodegeneration that IS Alzheimer's. However, I wouldn't go as far as to say that exogenous prions are causing this "infection" that is leading amyloid plaques, but rather that the AGEs leading to amyloid plaques are possibly contributing to folding proteins and, therefore, prions.

And, something else to consider, there HAS been an alarming increase in Alzheimer's incidence; however, there has also been a proportionate, alarming rise in Diabetes incidence. Coincidentally enough, high blood sugar, and especially fructose, leads to Glycation and, subsequently, AGEs. There is a strong positive correlation between Diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease, and the clear connection between the two is AGEs.

reply to post by DevolutionEvolvd


RE: ATS Live - I'd love to join you but can't.

Infectious? I seriously doubt it.

Well, it's not simply "genetic" - unless you're suggesting some genetically-inferior stud did the world in the '50's.

....and it's pretty much impossible for a pandemic to arise without an infectious component (re: epidemiology).

...the researchers are very clear that they need more experimentation to see if A) This same thing happens in humans and if B) Alzheimer's can be transmissible realistically, not through injection to the brain.

It's a political, cover-your-butt standard qualifier. The research showing transmissibility dates way back, including nearly every vector you can imagine - and scares the poop out of everyone who understands it. ...And the "Prion Denial" machine reflects political and economic purpose - not scientific rigor.

FYI - Prions and prion diseases are infectious to similar proteins. The question of prion-like "transmissibility" refers mainly to this characteristic: prions infect other proteins of similar structure on contact, and only on direct contact. But you're right, the political-economic fears regarding prion transmissibility aren't about protein-to-protein transmission, but rather person-to-person infectivity.

Of note, the little suckers do get around quite well. Also note: "sporadic" cases in the quote below refer to "spontaneous generation" of prions, and the fact that proteins tend to misfold with almost any "environmental perturbation," like an exposure to AGE's for example, frequently morphing into infectious prions. ...The "acquired" designation refers mainly to transmission via contaminated surgical instruments, blood products and body parts, as well as contaminated food or water. However, despite the fact that prions are known to go airborne, airborne infections are not tracked or understood to be included.

Prion diseases ...can be sporadic (spontaneous), familial (genetic/inherited) or acquired (transmitted by infection).

Alzheimer's patient's brains are full of amyloid plaques. These plaques are always associated with other metabolic byproducts, such as Advanced Glycated End-products (AGE's).....

It's a well known biochemical fact that these AGE's cause stick around in the bloodstream and are difficult for the body to get rid of. This leads to more AGE's and, here's the important part, often times protein folding.

If AGE's trigger protein misfolding or other conformational problems, that means they're spontaneously creating infectious prions - and you've just validated the OP's claim.

Of interest, I do recall a study showing that as with proteins, sugars and carbs also can misfold while maintaining their chemical composition - suggesting that there are other molecular equivalents to prions. Sorry - don't have the reference at hand.

I wouldn't ...say that exogenous prions are causing this "infection" that is leading amyloid plaques, but rather that the AGEs leading to amyloid plaques are possibly contributing to folding proteins and, therefore, prions.

Again, you've validated the OP's claim.

Whether or not the AGE's create prions or are created by them, it's still a prion infection. Whether the prions arise exogenously or endogenously is a moot point - they're still infectious to proteins of a similar structure on contact, wherever they come from and however they make contact. And again, if your AGE's are the trigger for spontaneous generation of Alzheimer prions, as you say, you are validating the OP.

And, something else to consider, there HAS been an alarming increase in Alzheimer's incidence; however, there has also been a proportionate, alarming rise in Diabetes incidence. ....There is a strong positive correlation between Diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease, and the clear connection between the two is AGEs.

Said alarming rise in both diseases clearly indicating an infectious component. Moreover, the most direct connection between the two is that both diseases result directly from misfolded proteins, specifically: Type 2 diabetes results from misfolded amylin causing cell toxicity; Alzheimer's results from misfolded b-amyloid causing gain of function and cell toxicity, as well as misfolded Tau causing cellular toxicity.

The role of AGE's seems to be a moot point - either way, your explanation supports the OP's theory - misfolded proteins aka prions cause Alzheimer's disease.

However, given that sugars may misfold to create the molecular equivalent of misfolded proteins aka prions, AGE's are of great interest and may well turn out to be quite important in terms of understanding infectious disease and evolution - particularly if misfolded sugars are mating with misfolded proteins. What a thought! What a hybrid.

Always love a good chat with you, sofi.

I realized while typing that post that much of what I was saying was in support of the OP; however, it was to an extent.

The misfolding of proteins (forgot the mis part earlier) can be caused by AGEs which can reflect a similarity between Prion disease and Alzheimers. But we've known that Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurodegenrative disease...possibly self-perpetuating (see AGEs again). At no point does this alone mean that Alzheimer's is a transmissible, infectious disease. The only reason for one to assume that are the similarities between the two diseases, but it stops there.

And if AGEs are leading to misfolding proteins and, possibly, prions, it would suggest that the disease is not transmissible, but is rather a metabolically driven disease that is caused by a poor diet.

reply to post by DevolutionEvolvd

Always love a good chat with you, sofi.

Ditto.

The misfolding of proteins (forgot the mis part earlier) can be caused AGEs

Reference? ...Just curious.

And if AGEs are leading to misfolding proteins and, possibly, prions, it would suggest that the disease is not transmissible, but is rather a metabolically driven disease that is caused by a poor diet.

Prions are infectious - they're "proteinaceous infectious particles" that infect other proteins of a similar structure - and they do disrupt metabolism.

Reference? ...Just curious.

www.liebertonline.com...

Prions are infectious - they're "proteinaceous infectious particles" that infect other proteins of a similar structure - and they do disrupt metabolism.

Not necessarily. There are infectious and non-infectious prions. And there's a clear difference. But...in any case, I was using the term in a sense of person-to-person transmission. And that just because both are obviously progressive, or infectious endogenously, it doesn't mean that both are transmissible exogenously.

www.mad-cow.org...

For all of your MAd Cow news and a great resource about Prions and CJD. I was reading an article on this site where the USDA was studying mad cow in sheep and that somwhere in a testing site in Colorado they let the sheep graze in the open fields and elk came in and fed with the sheep. This is what led to the outbreak of mad cow/spongiform eycelties (sorry about the spelling) in elk in the western states in the late 90s.

So, this is a transmissible disease by contact through eating off the same plate/field.

reply to post by Maxmars


Thank for that report. I have thought of this also recently after watching my Uncle obtain it. I agree that something in our environment has attached itself to our cells. I also suspect every illness we have comes from something introduced into our lives. Our bodies are not designed to accept poisons.

Peace to you.

For prevention - not cure - a major Swedish study showed drinking coffee to be a major benefit. 8 cups a day produces an 80% reduction in Alzheimers.
A major French study showed drinking 4 glasses of wine a day provided the same 80% reduction. These studies can easily be found with a Google search.