The Genetics of Dementia
Dementia is so widespread these days that one in four people aged over 55 has an affected relative, colleague or friend.
As such, more and more people are becoming concerned about whether or not the disease can be inherited, or passed down through genetics.
In reality, the chance of Dementia being purely genetic is actually very small.
The link between Genetics and Dementia
Only in certain rare types of Dementia (Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD), typically appearing at an early age (30’s-40’s), do we find an abnormal gene that can be passed from a parent to child.
While inheriting the disease directly is rare, genes are thought to play some role in other types of Dementia.
Genes can have multiple forms or ‘variants’, which when combined with lifestyle and environment, can influence our chances of developing a disease.
Our genetic variants also play a role in determining how healthy we are in other ways, such as our cardiovascular health.
This means that they indirectly raise or lower our chances of developing Dementia.
Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia?
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of Dementia and the genetics of Alzheimer’s are the best understood of all the common Dementias.
The vast majority of people with Alzheimer’s disease do not inherit it from a parent as a single-gene mutation.
Instead, the inheritance follows a more complex pattern.
The disease might skip a generation, affect people on both sides of the family, appear seemingly from nowhere, or not be passed on at all.
More than 20 gene variants (or regions within the DNA) have now been identified in AD patients, which to varying degrees, affect the chances of a person developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The effects of these genes are subtle.
Different variants act to slightly increase or decrease the risk of a person developing AD but do not directly cause it.
These variants or ‘risk genes’ interact with each other and with other factors, such as age and lifestyle, to influence someone’s overall risk of getting the disease.
The gene with the greatest known effect on the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is called apolipoprotein E (APOE).
Approximately one-quarter of the general population inherits a gene variant (APOE e4), increasing their lifetime risk of developing AD by a little over two times.
A small percentage of the population (2%), receives a double dose of this gene variant from both parents, increasing their risk by three to five times, however, they are still not guaranteed to develop Alzheimer’s.
Interestingly, one variant of the gene (APOE e2) is associated with a lower risk of developing the disease and is found in 11% of the population.
So, what does it all mean?
In summary, while genes are very important in building and maintaining our bodies, environment and lifestyle are also involved in a person’s physical characteristics, as well as their chances of developing a particular disease.
A predisposition to the disease can depend on whether we smoke, exercise, have a healthy diet and so on, as well as the genes we were born with and our age.
This matters because people tend to think of the effects of our genes as inevitable or completely fixed, but in most cases, this is simply not true.
How Can We Help Prevent Dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease?
At BrainFit Resorts, we are not attempting to diagnose Dementia or determine your genetics, this can be done by your physician.
Our role is to assess your risk of developing Dementia or a related disease, based on modifiable risk factors.
We focus on what you CAN control, that is to say, lifestyle choices that serve to maintain cognitive skills and prevent cognitive decline and Dementia.
No matter your genetic makeup, we will teach you how to profoundly change your quality of living, both in the present and as you ease into in what can be the best years of your life.
We hope this article provides you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.
If you want to see more of our articles relating to dementia and ways to prevent it, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:
- How Iron and B Vitamins Improve Brain Activity – Article
- Can Vitamin C and E Help Prevent Dementia? – Article
- Memory Loss: Is It Normal Or Abnormal? – Video
- Cognitive Decline: Can It Be Prevented? – Video
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