 A study published in the journal Scientific Reports found the damaging effects the habit could have on the olfactory nerve in the nose. According to the research - which was performed on mice - bacteria that travels through the nose nerve could reach the brain where it creates markers which are a 'tell-tale sign of Alzheimer's.' The researchers at Griffith University demonstrated that the bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae could travel from picking your nose and reach the brain via the olfactory canal. Professor James St John, head of the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research, is a co-author of the world-first research. 'We're the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly up the nose and into the brain where it can set off pathologies that look like Alzheimer's disease,' he said. 'We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially scary for humans as well.' Alzheimer's disease affects around six in every 10 people with dementia in the UK ( Burton Mail) 'We need){kind=link}
Some habits are seemingly innocent, but some are not only disgusting but could also cause you to unwittingly raise your risk of certain diseases. Case in point: picking your nose
Picking your nose is not only a gross habit, but it could be causing you to have a higher risk of dementia, researchers have warned.
The habit spreads bacteria, which could further increase the brain degenerative disease.
As we get older our brains begin to shrink, but in Alzheimer’s disease the changes seen in the brain are far more different from the changes seen in normal ageing.
Alzheimer’s disease affects around six in every 10 people with dementia in the UK.