Although there are several genes that have been found to influence the risk for Alzheimer’s (AD) the ApoE4 allele (version) likely has the greatest influence. We each have 2 versions of the ApoE gene. And most people have a combination of ApoE2 and/or ApoE3. However, if one of these is the ApoE4 allele, that person will have 3 times the normal risk of developing Alzheimer’s. And if they have two ApoE4s they have 10x the risk or nearly a 90% chance of developing cognitive decline of the Alzheimer’s type.
However, just because a person is ApoE4+(positive), that doesn’t mean that they will develop AD, even if they are double E4, there is still much that they can do, to reduce their odds, or slow or even reverse their decline in the early stages, due to a relatively new concept in the field of genetics called Epigenetics.
Discoveries in this field by Dean Ornish, MD and others, suggest that while genes can be very influential, they are not destiny. In other words gene expression is usually dependent upon a variety of factors, and factors like our diet and lifestyle have been found to be major determinants of whether or not this gene is expressed and results in AD or not. Moreover, most people diagnosed with AD do not have this genetic allele. So not having this gene does not insure you will not get the disease, as we noted with diabetics, diet, physical activity, stress, sleep and various toxins can trump genes.
(However, if one has the ApoE4 gene, it is especially imperative that they get started on a good plan to address this and other risk factors as soon as possible, especially if they have already experienced some decline.)
Determining if one has the ApoE4 gene requires a relatively simple blood test from your doctor, or 23andMe, the Family History group. This is especially important to check if one of their parents, or aunts and uncles was diagnosed with AD.
If you already know you are ApoE4 we recommend Dr. Bredesen’s program and connecting with others with the same genetic concerns at ApoE4.Info. There you will find an abundance of information on issues and treatments of particular value to those with this allele.
