While a stomach bug is undoubtedly an unpleasant experience, its symptoms normally disappear in a matter of a few days. But now researchers have found that a stomach bug found in a majority of people can be quite dangerous in the long term.
A common stomach bug found in two-thirds of the world population can be linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study by McGill University in Canada.
The research, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, analysed the health data of over 4 million people in the UK aged 50 and older between 1988 and 2019.
Researchers found that those who had contracted a common stomach infection called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) had an 11 per cent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
If 2/3rds of the world population have the bug, the link can’t be all that strong.
1 per 10 people (over 65) w/o bug - > 1 per 9 w/ bug = 11% increase in likelihood.
Made up the numbers so the math was clear.
The size of the population and the actual rates are key to this.