Elevated Levels of Pesticide Linked to Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

In a recent study, researchers from the UT Southwestern Medical Center found a link between exposure to DDT (a U.S.-banned pesticide) and the increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Previous studies have made connections between chronic diseases and DDT, but this is the first clinical study to link the pesticide specifically to Alzheimer’s disease. DDT was used extensively as an insecticide in the 1940s, but has been banned in the U.S. since 1972 after scientists linked the compound to wildlife and environmental problems. Findings from the study show that elevated levels of the DDT metabolite, DDE, were 3.8 times higher in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in comparison to control subjects. The study found elevated levels of DDE in blood samples of 86 patients with Alzheimer’s disease in comparison to 79 control patients. Treatment of human nerve cells with DDE caused them to increase the production of the amyloid precursor protein that is directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease. To read more about this study, click here.