Nose Picking May Increase Risk of Dementia

Boogers are formed when the nose filters impurities from the air and mixes them with the mucus secreted by the nasal cavity. Chawalit Banpot/Shutterstock

Nose-picking is a very common behavior.

However, studies show that when people pick their noses, they may also allow a type of bacteria to invade their brain, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Can Nose Picking Increase the Risk of Dementia?

A study by Griffith University in Australia found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the brain through the olfactory nerves in the nose of mice, causing amyloid-beta accumulations in the brain, which is a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. [1]