Loss of Y chromosomes ups Alzheimer's risk in men

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: It is now medically proven that men whose blood samples show loss of Y chromosomes (LOY) are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a latest research.

These chromosomes are only found in men and are responsible for the traits that are attributed to males in human population.

Researchers said that LOY is an age related factor and about one in five men aged over 80 experience such loss.

The study published in the American Journal of human Genetics reveals that slow disappearance of Y chromosomes from batches of blood cells over time reduces the lifespan of men and increases risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, including many cancers.

LOY is the most common genetic mutation acquired during a man's lifetime.

Professors Lars Forsberg and Jan Dumanski of the Uppsala University and colleagues from Sweden, France, the UK, the US and Canada, investigated LOY in over 3200 men with an average age of 73, and an age range of 37-96. Around 17 percent of them showed LOY in blood cells, and this increased with age.

The researchers found that those with an existing diagnosis of AD had a higher degree of LOY, and that LOY was also a marker for the likelihood of developing the disease during the follow-up period.

(With ANI inputs)