Could picking your nose cause Alzheimer's disease? What a new study says about it

Scientists have recently linked neuroinflammation to Alzheimer's disease, and a new study suggests picking your nose could play a role in causing that neuroinflammation.

Here's what we know.

What is neuroinflammation?

Neuroinflammation, according to ScienceDirect.com, is the brain's immune system activating in reaction to an inflammatory challenge and is characterized by a host of cellular and molecular changes within the brain.

Alzheimer's is characterized by the accumulation of the amyloid-beta peptide, and neuroinflammation is thought to be linked to the formation of amyloid peptides, according to the study.

What is Alzheimer's disease?

According to the CDC, Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia.

The disease starts out with mild memory loss and can escalate to a person losing the ability to carry on a conversation or respond to their environment.

Scientists do not fully understand the disease and its causes, but age is the best-known risk factor. There is no known cure for Alzheimer's, but medical management can improve the quality of life for the affected person and their caregivers.

How could picking your nose cause Alzheimer's?

So what does picking your nose have to do with Alzheimer's disease?

According to the study, scientists have been exploring the idea that invading pathogens could start or accelerate the neuroinflammatory processes in Alzheimer's.

Nose picking has been linked to the transfer of pathogens like COVID-19 and Staph. The scientists in the study suggest that nose-picking can lead to the transfer of viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens into the brain through the nose and the olfactory system, potentially leading to neuroinflammation.

"There is even some evidence to suggest that (amyloid-beta) may have antibacterial properties as a defense mechanism against microbial infections in the brain," the study reported.

What can you do?

Scientists also don't fully understand the reason behind the widespread habit of nose-picking among both children and adults.

For most people, it's a way to quickly remove built-up, dried mucus and improve airflow — though scientists say it's a dirty and unsafe habit.

But if you can't quite break it, the study concludes hand hygiene should be a mandatory part of your daily routine, both before and after picking your nose.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: A new study has us asking, could picking your nose cause Alzheimer's?