Is it Possible to be Immune to Dementia?
Researchers have found evidence that natural resistance to dementia may run within families, according to a new study.
Scientists from Mount Sinai School of Medicine report that elderly people who are free of dementia and have high levels of a certain protein called C-reactive protein (CRP) are also less likely to have relatives with the brain-wasting disease.
“Our results found that the higher the level of this protein in the study participant, the lower the risk for dementia in their parents and siblings,” study author Dr. Jeremy Silverman at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said in a released statement.
For the study, researchers measured the levels of CRP in nearly 300 dementia-free male veterans aged 75 and older. They also interviewed 1,329 parents and siblings of the veterans about whether or not they had dementia. Out of those relatives, 40 people from 37 families had dementia.