To state the obvious: a diagnosis of either cancer or Alzheimer’s disease is something that no one wants to receive. However, researchers have found some evidence that cancer might contribute to lowering one’s risk of Alzheimer’s. It’s something that merits further study; if there’s a way to figure out the reason for this reduced risk without the accompanying cancer, it could go a long way towards helping people avoid dementia as they age.
A paper published earlier this month in the journal Cell took a deeper look at this phenomenon. As the paper’s authors phrased it, “whether and how peripheral cancer may affect [Alzheimer’s disease] progression is yet to be studied.” That led them to discover that cancer has an effect on the nervous system — something that could have a significant impact…