Welcome to Dementia Jersey’s Big Brain Challenge!

Bring it down (lower inflammation).

Some scientists now firmly believe that Alzheimer’s disease may begin in the gut – and is closely related to the imbalance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ gut bacteria. A way that inflammation may occur is through what’s known as leaky gut syndrome. This is a digestive condition where bacteria that should remain in the gut ‘leak’ through the intestinal wall because it has become weakened. Once in the bloodstream, the bacteria trigger inflammation which then affects the brain as well as other organs. Because the bacteria have leaked out into an area they shouldn’t be – i.e. outside the gut – the body’s immune system is put on high alert, trying to fight these infectious pathogens. There are suggestions that over time this infection-fighting process can further trigger the production of plaques which are associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.