India, March 15 -- Picking one's nose is taught to be a bad manner since childhood. However, it can also pose a serious threat to our health, with recent studies linking it to Alzheimer's disease, claimed Dr Sermed Mezher, a UK-based general practitioner.

Taking to Instagram on March 15, Dr Mezher explained that one of the primary reasons this line of inquiry was pursued in the first place is that one of the earliest indicators of Alzheimer's disease is the loss of smell. This sometimes happens months or years before the first signs of cognitive dysfunction.

The hypothesis that chronic nose-picking, also known as rhinotillexomania, may be a potential risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease rests on "the integrity of the nasal cav...