[javiermares]

Someone knowledgeable please advise:

Do cryotherapy or cold showers increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in the long term?

"Tau phosphorylation is exquisitely sensitive to temperature, increasing by 80% for each degree below 37°C, due to exponential decrease in PP2A activity during direct hypothermia, or anesthesia-induced hypothermia."

This means that one might expect a significant increase in tau phosphorylation from modest decreases in body temperature, possibly leading to increased risk of Alzheimer's in the long run.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep00480

[pknight]

Not an expert, and I don't think this is a factor at all, but the cold showers are in part meant to help you tap into a natural ability to stay warm (without shivering), so you're not get an appreciable dip in core body temperature in the first place if you do it right.

I believe it is thought that long term Tau accumulation in the brain is what worsens or accelerates alzheimers in patients, but a healthy person is clearing Tau build-up all the time, primarily during sleep. Any behaviour that improves sleep quality is therefore likely to be a boost in preventing and decelerating the development of alzheimers and cold showers promote good sleep and help keep our circadian rhythms aligned in a way that encourages good quality sleep.

One of the reasons why a hot bath before bed is good for sleep is because it decreases body temperature.

[javiermares]

Thanks, all of that is quite interesting. I want to learn more.