Just ONE blow to the head causes the same brain damage as dementia: A single injury produces ‘hallmark proteins of Alzheimer’s’
- Tau proteins develop at the site of injury and spread elsewhere in the brain
- England striker Jeff Astle died from dementia due to heading leather footballs
- World Cup winning footballer Nobby Stiles suffers from Alzheimer’s disease
- Mice with brain injuries also have tau proteins throughout their brains
- Around 850,000 people in the UK and 5.7 million in the US have Alzheimer’s
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One blow to the head causes the same brain damage as dementia, new research suggests.
A single injury from heading a football or being in a boxing match leads to the production of tau proteins, which have been described as the ‘hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease’, a Scottish and Italian study found.
These proteins accumulate both at the site of injury and elsewhere in the brain, the research adds.
This comes 16 years after the death of England striker Jeff Astle, whose inquest suggested he developed dementia as a direct result of heading heavy leather footballs.
Nobby Stiles, who played for England during its World Cup win in 1966 and suffers from Alzheimer’s, has previously criticised the Football Association for failing to properly investigate a link between the sport and degenerative brain disease.
Around 850,000 people in the UK have dementia, of which approximately 62 per cent suffer from Alzheimer’s. Some 5.7 million have Alzheimer’s in the US.
One blow to the head causes the same brain damage as dementia, research suggests (stock)
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DOES SUGAR INCREASE A PERSON’S RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S?
Adding less than three teaspoons of sugar to your tea every day increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, research suggested in July 2018.
Sweetening food or drinks with just two-and-a-half teaspoons of sugar makes people 54 per cent more likely to develop the condition, a study found.
Indulging in just one can of sugary soda a day increases the risk of dementia by 47 per cent compared to those who only consume such beverages around once every three months, the research adds.
Speaking of the findings, Dr Doug Brown, chief policy and research officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Too much sugar is linked to type 2 diabetes and previous research has identified type 2 diabetes as a risk factor for dementia.
‘This study backs up this evidence, suggesting that excess sugar may increase our risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and all types of sugar – from fruit juice to lemonade – have the same impact.
‘By cutting down on the fizzy drinks, sweets and cakes, and eating a varied and balanced diet, we will be able to reduce our risk of developing dementia in later life.’
The researchers, from Columbia University, analysed 2,226 people who did not initially have dementia over around seven years.
At the start of the study, the participants completed questionnaires about whether they added sugar to their food or drinks.
Of the participants, 429 developed Alzheimer’s during the study.
Brain injury causes Alzheimer’s proteins
The researchers, from the University of Glasgow, analysed the brains of 15 people who had suffered moderate or severe blows to the head as a result of car crashes, accidents or assaults.
All of the patients survived their injuries and died up to 18 years later from other causes.
None of them were ever diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or similar disorders, however, results suggest they had abnormal forms of the tau protein both at the site of their injuries and elsewhere in their brains.
Lead author Dr Willie Stewart said: ‘There is a false assumption that being hit by a car produces a different brain injury to being hit on a rugby field thousands of times during your career.
‘Underpinning it, the biological processes are very similar if not the same. It is just the dose of the injury which is different.’
In a separate part of the study, published in the journal Brain, scientists from the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan examined mice with brain injuries.
Results further suggest the rodents had the same type of abnormal tau protein, which also spread in their brains.
Heading a football causes five times more damage to women’s brains
This comes after research released yesterday suggested heading a football may cause five times as much damage to women’s brains as men’s.
Researchers, from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine, New York, believe this may be due to women having weaker necks, as well as possible hormonal or genetic differences.
Sex hormones, such as testosterone in males, and oestrogen and progesterone in women, influence brain size.
Men’s brains are on average 14 per cent bigger and may therefore be better able to withstand blows.
ENGLAND STRIKER JEFF ASTLE DIED OF BRAIN DISEASE
Former England and West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle (right) died in 2002.
He was only 59 but doctors said he had the brain of a 90-year-old after suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
CTE is a progressive, degenerative brain disease found in individuals with a history of head injuries, often as a result of multiple concussions.
An inquest ruled Astle died from dementia caused by heading footballs – the first British professional footballer to be officially confirmed to have done so.
Astle once commented that heading a football was like heading ‘a bag of bricks’.
His family set up the Jeff Astle Foundation in 2015 in order to raise awareness of brain injury in sport.
Jeff Astle challenging the Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Bonetti in 1969
Danny Blanchflower, who captained Tottenham Hotspur during their double winning season of 1961, died aged 67 in 1993 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
His death has also been linked to heading the heavy, leather balls of the 1940s and 50s, along with fellow Tottenham players Dave Mackay, Peter Baker and Ron Henry.
Several legends from England’s World Cup squad of 1966 have also been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, including Martin Peters, Nobby Stiles and Ray Wilson.
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