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There was a great hope in the fight against Alzheimer's disease: antibodies that were supposed to stop the brain's decay. But recently there have been more failures than successes. Renowned scientist Konrad Beyreuther, who has dedicated his life to studying Alzheimer's, says that prevention and lifestyle are more important than genes.
Genetics or lifestyle?
There is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease – the presence of the ApoE-E4 gene, one of three variants of apolipoprotein-E. This is the largest known genetic factor.
This does not necessarily lead to Alzheimer's disease, although half of patients are exposed to these risk factors. Rather, environmental factors and, above all, lifestyle are increasingly becoming the focus of scientific attention.
The importance of this was indirectly confirmed by a large study conducted by Google's Calico division, which found that there is no age gene, and only 7% of the damage caused by aging is genetic, 93% depends on the environment and lifestyle.
“We are learning more and more that genes determine our lives, but we can also determine what our genes are allowed to do. We are not slaves to our genes,” says Konrad Beireuter in an interview. “That’s good news. We can compensate for many of the problems we have with our lifestyle.”
Start prevention as early as possible
“Alzheimer’s takes 30 years to destroy the brain. If you are an ApoE4 carrier and have cardiovascular problems, you should start prevention in middle age – move, learn and laugh,” says Beireuter. “If you are generally healthy, you should start at 40. Because between the ages of 40 and 50, degenerative changes begin in almost everyone.”
