Hi, I’m Aastha, and welcome to Live Longer World, where I interview scientists researching the frontiers of longevity science and write about health & longevity practices.
What if chronic diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are caused by infections we’ve overlooked?
We assume chronic disease is caused by genetics and / or lifestyle. However, evolutionary biologist Dr. Paul Ewald says latent viruses and pathogens play a critical hidden role in many diseases.
For example, we already know that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer. And research indicates how the EBV virus shows up in Multiple sclerosis, and chlamydia pneumonia shows in Alzheimer’s. Deeper investigation into viruses and disease is warranted and will help with better diagnosis and treatment.
We discuss:
Genes cannot explain the full reason for disease
Role of viruses in cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes
Strong associations between certain viruses & disease
Glioblastoma and antiviral treatment
Dr. Paul Ewald is also the author of Plague Time: The New Germ Theory of Disease, and Evolution of Infectious diseases.
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Timestamps:
0:00 Role of infection in chronic disease is neglected
2:40 Role of viruses in Alzheimer’s
10:50 Connections between Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cardiovascular disease
15:57 Genes cannot explain the full reason for disease
20:47 Strong association between Alzheimer’s, chlamydia pneumonia, and APOE4
28:16 Multiple sclerosis and EBV virus
35:08 Latent viruses may in fact be active & cause cancer
41:41 Sexually- transmitted pathogens correlated with cancer
46:50 Viruses that cause cancer (EBV & breast cancer)
53:09 Hodgkin’s lymphoma and virus
57:15 Stanford study showing EBV as leading cause of MS
1:00:19 Do viruses attack the mitochondria and cause cancer?
1:01:38 Glioblastoma and virus / antiviral treatment
1:07:07 Virus vs. oncogenes causing cancer
1:14:17 Breast cancer BRAC1 mutations & virus association
1:15:59 Vaccines against viruses
1:17:56 Practical steps if you test positive for infectious viruses
1:24:57 Could cancer relapse be due to persistent virus?
1:27:48 Protect the immune system
1:29:38 Areas Dr. Ewald is excited about
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