Alzheimer's Risk Connected to Loss of Y Chromosome in Men

A new study suggests that aging men who lose Y chromosomes from their blood cells could have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

After analyzing more than 3,200 men for the study, researchers found those who already had Alzheimer’s were three times more likely to have lost some of the Y chromosomes in their blood cells.

Furthermore, older men with fewer Y chromosomes were found to face an elevated risk of developing Alzheimer’s sometime in the next eight years. However, experts explained that the study is not proof that a reduced number of Y chromosomes directly influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

But study co-author Lars Forsberg explained it does add to the existing evidence tying loss of Y to increased disease risk. Forsberg, who is a researcher with the Uppsala University in Sweden, added that one day, there could be a test for loss of Y in men’s blood that will be able to predict their risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

The findings were published online in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

For a long time, researchers believed the Y chromosome in men did little more than determine their sex and enable normal sperm production. However, recent studies have proved that the Y chromosome comes with a number of genes whose functions are still to be understood.

At the same time, scientists have also known that as men age, their blood cells can lose some Y chromosome, something that was seen as a normal part of the process. New studies seem to prove otherwise.

For example, a 2014 study conducted by Forsberg and his team discovered that older men with a loss of Y were more likely to have cancer and die earlier than other men.

Dr. Luca Giliberto, a researcher and neurologist at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, who was not part of the study, said the team took into consideration other factors tied to Alzheimer’s risk, such as education levels, older age, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Even so, men with a loss of Y in their blood cells were still nearly seven times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, compared to other men. But much more is to be learned about this potential connection between the Y chromosome and disease.
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Roxanne Briean

I am a geek, a gamer and a writer. I have always been fascinated with the online community. At the moment I work as a full-time writer and study interior design. When I'm not scouring the net in search of interesting new gadgets and software I spend my time in MOBAs or drawing.