Skip to main content

Is There a Genetic Link to Alzheimer's Disease?

If you watched a parent or other family elder struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, you’ve likely wondered if you’re at higher risk for developing it. That’s an understandable concern.


Each parent contributes genes to their children. These genes carry the coded information that determines which of our parents’ traits we inherit. They are in every one of the billions of cells that make up our bodies. If your mother is tall with blonde hair or your father has dark hair and green eyes, you might inherit those traits.

Unfortunately, our genetics determine more than our hair and eye color. They can also put us as higher risk for some diseases and health conditions. 

Genes and Alzheimer's Disease

There are two types of Alzheimer's disease: early-onset and late-onset. Researchers believe there is a genetic component to both.

The first type, early-onset Alzheimer's, isn't very common. It occurs in adults under the age of sixty-five and accounts for only about ten percent of all cases. Familial early-onset Alzheimer's is linked to three genes—APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2.

Combined, these genes account for less than one percent of all Alzheimer's cases but up to seventy percent of all early-onset Alzheimer's diagnoses. If either of your parents has these genes, your odds of developing early-onset Alzheimer's is about fifty-fifty.

While much remains a mystery about late-onset Alzheimer's disease, researchers believe a variety of factors contribute to it. Lifestyle, environment, and genetics are thought to play a role. A hereditary link to Alzheimer's has been detected in connection with a risk gene known as apolipoprotein E or APOE. 

APOE is found primarily in older adults. When present, the senior has a higher risk for developing late-onset Alzheimer's. It's important to know, however, that some people who have APOE never develop the disease. 

Lifestyle Factors That Contribute to Alzheimer’s

While you can’t change your genetics, you can adopt a lifestyle that might help you prevent or delay the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

  • Get regular exercise: A growing amount of research seems to indicate regular exercise might help you avoid Alzheimer’s. Talk with your doctor about the types and amount of exercise that are best for your health.
  • Consume a healthy diet: Alzheimer’s prevention is another reason to make a well-balanced diet a priority. One to consider is the Mediterranean diet. It focuses on consuming fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, and whole grains. People who live in the Mediterranean have lower incidences of both heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
  • Practice brain aerobics: A study published in JAMA Neurology highlighted how giving the brain a regular workout can help protect cognitive health. The sooner you get started, the greater the odds your brain will be protected. Activities that act as aerobics for your brain include learning a foreign language, mastering a musical instrument, reading, and playing board games.

Bookmark the Sunrise Blog

If you found this article interesting, we encourage you to bookmark the Sunrise Blog. We update it several times a week with the latest news on Alzheimer’s, aging, caregiving, senior care, and more!






from Sunrise Senior Living Blog /blog/november-2019/is-there-a-genetic-link-to-alzheimers-disease.aspx?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sleep in the Elderly: What is Normal?

If you are a caregiver for a senior, or even just have elderly people in your life, you may wonder about their sleeping habits. It sometimes seems that the elderly don’t need as much sleep as the average person. You may feel like the elderly in your life are sleeping a lot, or sleeping too much during the day. Unfortunately when it comes to sleep in the elderly, what is normal may not necessarily be what is healthy. Excessive sleep or daytime sleeping in the elderly are all related to sleep disorders and can be helped. How Many Hours of Sleep Does an Elderly Person Need? A pervading myth related to sleep claims that elderly adults need less sleep than the average adult. It’s not quite clear how this myth began. Perhaps because elderly adults tend to nap in the afternoons and sleep less during the night. Perhaps because the elderly tend to wake up earlier in the morning, it appears they do not need to sleep as much. Whatever the reason, it remains a myth. From the mid-’20s onward, do...
1 comment
Read more

Dads and Pops: Your Good Health Matters to Us 

Did you know  June is  Men’s Health Month  and Father’s Day anchors Men’s Health Week ?   Celebrate dad on Father’s Day and thank him for all he  has  done, but  also  make sure to seize an opportunity sometime this month to have a conversation with him about his health. This awareness campaign has the critical purpose of informing men   that avoiding preventive healthcare puts them at real and serious risk of  contracting a disease or  acquiring  a chronic condition.   Studies consistently  show the numbers go against men , particularly as they advance into their senior years.   Even with dramatic advances in diagnosis and treatment over the past 100 years, men’s life expectancy still lags significantly behind women. According to  Harvard Health ,  the gap is widening. In 1900, the life expectancy for women was 48.3 years vs. 46.3 for men. In 2017, it was 81.1 years for women vs. 76.1 for men. Harvard...
Post a Comment
Read more

Film Screening at Samvedna Senior Care

On 30th September, 2019, Samvedna Senior Care Foundation hosted the 2nd film festival of generations in association with Heidelberg University, Germany. The film Sputnik Moment – 30 years and beyond was screened at our senior citizen centre in Gurgaon for our members and staff. The film highlighted how senior citizens in Germany and the US were taking up second careers to fill their time, engage meaningfully and also get support through additional income. Post the screening Dr. Martin Gieselmann, Executive Secretary, SAI, Heidelberg University and Dr. Constanze, Coordinator DAAD Project, Heidelberg University along with our team engaged with the audience in an interesting discussion on the Indian scenario. Members shared that in India it is not easy for senior citizens to pick up jobs after retirement, however it was interesting to see that many in the audience did have jobs post retirement. They also spoke about stereotypes and social attitudes towards ageing and shared their per...
Post a Comment
Read more