Parasites, like leeches and tapeworms, often get a bad press, but I find them fascinating. So much so that a few years ago I deliberately infected myself with some tapeworms to see what would happen (more on that later).
In the years since that rather creepy self-experiment, there is mounting evidence that worms such as hookworm and tapeworm may hold the secret to reducing chronic inflammation. This is linked to many of the diseases we associate with old age, including dementia and cancer, as well as autoimmune diseases such as asthma and ulcerative colitis.
Recent research has shown that infection with a tapeworm can extend an animal’s lifespan.
That said, I wouldn’t recommend it, not least because becoming infected with tapeworms can have significant downsides.
There was an extraordinary story in the American press recently. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a prominent anti-vaxxer and a potential candidate to become the next president, said part of his brain was damaged by a tapeworm.
There is mounting evidence that worms may hold the secret to reducing chronic inflammation
It was reported that in 2010 he began experiencing problems with his memory, which was initially thought to be due to a brain tumor. But experts decided that the dark spot seen on a brain scan was “caused by a worm that entered my brain, ate part of it and then died,” he said in legal documents two years later.
Last week, his spokesman said the worm – a pork tapeworm – had caused him no long-term physical or mental health problems and that he was fit to run for president.
Certainly a gruesome story, highlighting the dangers of eating undercooked pork, especially if you do so in a country with lax hygiene rules. That’s why, when I deliberately infected myself with tapeworm, we decided to go for a beef tapeworm instead of a pig type.
The idea of the experiment was to see what impact, if any, the tapeworm would have on my immune system. And, unlike pork tapeworms, those from cows appear relatively benign and don’t end up in places they shouldn’t, such as the brain.
To become infected I had to travel to Kenya, find an infected cow and then swallow some cysts formed by the embryonic tapeworms. Over the next eight weeks the cysts ‘came out’ and the tapeworms stuck to my intestines and started growing.
While that was happening, researchers from the University of Salford were monitoring my blood, and they could see that the tapeworms were helping to dampen my immune response. Other than that, I didn’t actually feel any different and I didn’t lose any weight (the tapeworm diet doesn’t work). After two months, I swallowed a pill camera to film the worms – which were now several meters long and wriggling happily in my abdomen. My main reaction was fascination, with a hint of disgust. It was certainly without regret that I took a pill to kill them.
What we saw in this experiment was the immune-soothing potential of parasitic worms – something scientists are harnessing to treat a range of conditions, from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis to eczema, asthma, allergies and even multiple sclerosis (MS) . Although it is still early, some promising results have been achieved.
In a small study at the University of Nottingham, published in 2020 in the journal Neurology, 71 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (where symptoms worsen, followed by periods of recovery) were given either a dose of hookworm larvae – about 25 of them – via a cast on their arms, or a placebo patch.
MS is usually caused by an overactive immune system that attacks the insulating layer that covers our nerves, leading to problems with movement and memory. The idea of this study was to see whether infection with the worms would dampen the immune response.
Although the worms did not significantly improve their symptoms, or make a visible difference to existing nerve damage, it did lead to an increase in ‘regulatory’ T cells in the patient’s blood – these help keep the immune system in check. And this seemed to prevent new damage.
The MS Society, which funded the research, says it is very unlikely that worm therapy will be approved any time soon, but this type of research gives us valuable insights into how worms manipulate our immune system, which will hopefully lead to better treatments in the future.
In another small study, scientists at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in New Zealand infected patients with Crohn’s disease (a form of inflammatory bowel disease) with hookworms to try to keep their symptoms at bay.
Over the course of a year, 40 percent of patients remained in remission (without flares), the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases reported last June. Again, more research is needed.
But perhaps the most dramatic benefit I’ve seen is a more recent study in which German scientists showed that a tapeworm infection can triple life expectancy – at least if you’re an ant.
A team from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz found that ants infected with a certain type of tapeworm not only lived longer than normal, but also seemed to do so because the parasites showered the insects with hundreds of different chemicals, including two powerful antioxidants that the insects seem to poison. protect them from damage normally caused by aging.
It’s a giant step from ants to humans, of course, but I almost regret deciding to get rid of my own parasitic tapeworms. Almost.
We have to take good care of our livers. Here’s the quick route…
Our livers normally do a fantastic job of removing toxins from our blood and producing bile, a fluid that helps us digest and absorb fats.
Sadly, our livers are in crisis, with the number of deaths from liver disease having quadrupled in the last fifty years.
Much of this is due to rising obesity rates, which has led to an increase in non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A normal, healthy liver should contain little or no fat, but if you gain more weight than your body can comfortably handle, some of that fat will be stored in your liver.
Up to one in three people in Britain now have early-stage NAFLD, which if left untreated can lead to serious liver damage including cirrhosis and liver failure. Signs of advanced NAFLD include fatigue, confusion, dark urine, and itchy skin. If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor.
Our liver is in crisis, with deaths from liver disease quadrupling in the last fifty years
There are no medical treatments for the condition, but studies have shown that intermittent fasting, especially the 5:2 diet (eating fewer calories two days a week), is an effective way to get rid of it.
Is it just the weight loss? Not according to research published last week in the journal Cell Metabolism. When researchers put mice on a 5:2 diet, their livers produced two proteins that reduced chronic inflammation but also helped protect the liver from developing cancer. These proteins appear to work by preventing the buildup of fat in the liver.
So if you develop signs of fatty liver disease, you know what to do.
I finally conquered the annoying cough that kept me awake at night. What finally worked for me was taking some over-the-counter antihistamines, which apparently make your nose and throat less itchy. That, or it got better on its own.
I’m pretty bad at keeping in touch with old friends. And I’m not alone: a recent survey by psychologists at the University of Sussex found that two-thirds of us are as reluctant to message an old friend as we are to strike up a conversation with a stranger. To overcome this, the researchers asked volunteers to spend a few minutes sending messages to existing friends, or spend that time browsing social media. It was then suggested that I contact an old friend later. More than half of those who sent the practice messages actually did so, compared to less than a third in the control group. I think I’ll give it a try.