A twist on the genetic link between Alzheimer’s and heart disease

Alzheimer’s disease often strikes fear in people’s hearts because it gradually erodes a person’s ability to remember, think, and learn. There is no cure, and available treatments alleviate symptoms only temporarily. An estimated 5.3 million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s disease, yet this brain disorder is far less common than heart disease. More than 85 million people in the United States are living with some form of cardiovascular disease or the after-effects of stroke, which also affects brain function. Many people don’t realize that Alzheimer’s and heart disease share a genetic link: the apolipoprotein E gene, also known as ApoE. Genetic testing for ApoE — which is done mainly in research settings and isn’t yet widely available — cannot predict whether a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease, only whether they may be more likely than others to do so. The results of ApoE testing can be distressing for people who discover they carry a potentially a worrisome variant of the gene, but a recent Harvard study revealed a surprising silver lining. Understanding the ApoE gene The ApoE gene provides instructions for making a protein that transports cholesterol in the bloodstream. It comes in three different forms: e2, e3, and e4. Everyone inherits two variants, one from each parent. More than half of people in the general population have two copies of the most common variant, e3, which doesn’t appear to affect the risk of either heart disease or Al...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Behavioral Health Brain and cognitive health Genes Healthy Aging Heart Health Memory Mental Health Source Type: news