Jim KwikFounder, Kwik Brain · Brain Coach

Risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

14 Nov 2024 · 1 min

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1:00

In this concise presentation, Jim Kwik explains that brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease begin decades before clinical symptoms appear. He highlights the role of early genetic testing, particularly the APOE single nucleotide polymorphism, as a non-modifiable risk factor alongside age and gender, which cannot be altered. Kwik then references the June 2024 Lancet Commission report, which expanded the list of modifiable risk factors from 12 to 14, and emphasizes the commission’s estimate that about 45% of global Alzheimer’s cases could be prevented through addressing these modifiable factors. The overall message is that, despite immutable risks, individuals have substantial control over brain health by managing lifestyle-related risks.

Chapters

There are brain changes that happen decades before anyone has signs or symptoms associated with Alzheimer's. If you can have genetic testing that you get in your 20s or 30s that helps us understand that you're at higher risk, well then we can be empowered to reduce all of the known modifiable risk factors. Unmodifiable risk factors are our age, the year we were born. We cannot change that. We cannot change our genetic predisposition. APOE is one of those single nucleotide polymorphisms that can put us at risk for Alzheimer's later in life. We can't change our APOE status. Women are much more likely to suffer from Alzheimer's. We can't change the gender we were born with. Those factors are non-modifiable. The Lancet Commission report on Alzheimer's was published in this summer, in June of 2024, and they updated the list from 12 things to 14 modifiable risk factors that have an impact on whether or not we end up with Alzheimer's. And they suggest that 45% of worldwide Alzheimer's could be prevented. So we have a tremendous amount of control about how our brain ages.