Study: Risk of dementia doubled for inflammatory bowel disease patients

Alzheimer's Society comments on a study by a Taiwanese research group published in the BMJ on the risk of dementia doubling for inflammatory bowel disease patients. 

Fiona Carragher, Director of Research and Influencing at Alzheimer’s Society said:

'The role of gut health and the gut microbiome is currently a key focus in dementia research and although the links to dementia and brain health are not yet well understood, it has been linked to other neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

'As with every observational study, it’s impossible to know whether having inflammatory bowel disease directly increases our risk of getting dementia later in life.'

'There are also many other factors that were not controlled in this study including diet, exercise and elements of psychological health such as depression and anxiety which could have played a role. 

'If we can understand more about this complex relationship between brain and gut health, it could open up new approaches to tackling dementia which affects 850,000 people in the UK.

'This is why Alzheimer’s Society is investing in, and accelerating, dementia research.'

'Currently, scientists at the UK Dementia Research Institute, supported by Alzheimer’s Society, are trying to understand how changes in our gut microbiome affect brain function and health.'