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Certain gene variants are known to raise a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease. But a new study finds that even in people carrying this DNA, factors such as gender and physical or mental activity can affect that risk.
The study tracked dementia rates for 642 people aged 53 to 95 at the start of the study. All carried at least one of two types of DNA linked to higher Alzheimer’s disease risk: the APOEe4 or CLU CC gene variants.
Carrying the APOEe4 variant “confers a risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease of up to 10 to 14 times compared to that of non-carriers,” explained Dr. Luca Giliberto, who reviewed the new findings.
The study found that gender appeared to matter. While about 47 percent of men showed signs of decline in their memory level and stability over the study period, that number was approximately 32 percent for women.
This “memory resilience” over time was also found to be improved for both sexes in people who had higher education, better muscle tone, or who engaged in “challenging, everyday” intellectual activities
Read full, original post: Women May Be More Resilient to Effects of Alzheimer’s Genes
