Quote:
Originally Posted by Villages PL
This information comes from an article in The Daily Sun (Mar. 24, 2013, page A22)
Heading: For sisters, family history of Alzheimer's a concern.
The article states that based on current research, less than 1 percent of Alzheimer's cases are the direct result of genetics.
I think that's great news because it's another indication that genes are not our destiny. We are in control of our destiny. But what does it say about the average American's lifestyle that so many people develop Alzheimer's?
The same goes for cancer. Only a very small percentage of cancer is caused by genetics and yet most of us know someone who has had cancer. (But cancer is another story.)
|
In my opening post above, please take note of the exact words used (in bold print). Less than 1 percent of Alzheimer's cases are the
direct result of genetics. Of those that are the
direct result of genetics, there are only about 300 cases worldwide. I believe the rest of the cases are those that have an
association with the ApoE4 gene. An "association" raises one's risk but is not considered to be a direct cause.
Most genes by themselves don't cause disease unless they are turned on by livestyle and/or environment. There are lots of people who have the ApoE4 gene who never develop Alzheimer's. That's an important clue that the gene itself cannot be working alone to cause Alzheimer's.
Being that genes can only raise our risk, it's my belief that it's our lifestyle that is the ultimate cause.