To What Degree is Alzheimer’s Disease a Modern Phenomenon? – Fight Aging!

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in antiquity is an interesting topic that can be explored through ancient writings on aging, memory, and health. While Alzheimer’s is considered a creation of modernity, there are hypotheses on contributing factors, such as viral infection. The analysis of classical Greek and Roman medical texts suggests that severe memory loss was rare 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, challenging the notion of Alzheimer’s in antiquity. Ancient accounts of cognitive loss do not align with modern clinical data, indicating a low prevalence of Alzheimer’s in the ancient Greco-Roman world. This is consistent with low prevalence in contemporary populations living under conditions of high mortality and physically demanding lives.