The link between exposure to environmental pollutants and Alzheimer's disease, although not fully proven, has been documented in numerous scientific studies for years. People who are exposed to pollutants and have higher blood levels of toxic and harmful substances have a higher risk of developing dementia.
The risk for developing the sporadic late-onset form of Alzheimer's disease is attributable to an interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Among the genetic factors, it is well known that the presence of the APOE4 gene considerably increases the risk of developing the disease. Among environmental risk factors, lifestyle measures (such as diet, sleep quality, physical activity, and mental training) and exposure to toxic agents have great importance for prevention, since they can be modified both at the individual level and through collective health policies. Despite its relevance, the effect of exposure to toxins has not been properly studied: the number of articles published on this subject is limited, and occur mostly in journals on environment and toxins rather than in medical journals.
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