What A New Study Shows About Your Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Means

May 25, 2026

Scientists have long known that genetics play a role in Alzheimer’s disease risk. Some genetic markers appear to increase the likelihood of developing the condition, while others seem to offer a degree of protection against cognitive decline and brain aging.

One of the most important genes researchers study is called APOE. Everyone inherits two copies, but the specific version you carry may influence how resilient your brain is over time. In particular, one version called APOE4 is strongly linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while another, APOE2, is associated with lower risk and even exceptional longevity.

What researchers set out to learn

Scientists already knew that APOE2 is linked to lower Alzheimer’s risk, while APOE4 is associated with significantly higher risk. But researchers wanted to better understand how these gene variants influence brain aging at the cellular level.

To investigate, the team created genetically matched human neuron models that differed only in their APOE type. They then compared how the cells responded to DNA damage, aging-related stress, and cellular decline over time.

Specifically, researchers examined:

• How effectively the neurons repaired damaged DNA
• Whether the cells entered a dysfunctional “zombie-like” state known as cellular senescence
• How well the neurons maintained healthy cellular structure

This allowed researchers to observe how protective versus high-risk APOE variants may shape brain cell resilience long before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear.

The protective gene’s three advantages

When researchers compared neurons carrying different APOE variants, clear patterns emerged.

• Better DNA repair: These cells were much better at fixing the kind of DNA damage that builds up with age and can lead to brain decline
• More resistance to becoming “zombie cells”: APOE2 neurons were less likely to enter a state where they enter a dysfunctional state where they stop functioning properly but resist cell death
• Stronger structure: The neurons kept their shape better over time, preserving the connections needed for memory and thinking

APOE4 neurons, on the other hand, showed faster aging across all three measures. But here’s the interesting part: when scientists treated APOE4 neurons with APOE2 protein, those struggling cells became more resilient. That suggests the protective effects might eventually be replicated through treatment.

Which version do you carry?

Your APOE status falls into one of three categories, and the risk differences are significant:

• APOE2: The protective version. Carriers have up to 40% lower Alzheimer’s risk and tend to live longer. Only about 8% of people have at least one copy.
• APOE3: The neutral version. This is the most common type, found in roughly 78% of people. It doesn’t raise or lower risk much either way.
• APOE4: The risk version. One copy raises Alzheimer’s risk 2-3 times; two copies can raise it up to 12 times. About 25% of people carry at least one copy, and women with APOE4 face a higher risk than men.

Testing Options

Testing for APOE is one of the most accessible genetic tests out there. You have a few options depending on how much guidance you want:

• At-home tests: Certain DNA tests include APOE status in their health reports. You’ll get the raw data, though the interpretation is limited.
• Through a doctor: A functional medicine doctor or neurologist can order APOE testing with counseling before and after to help you understand what your results actually mean. This is especially helpful if you have a family history of Alzheimer’s or want to build a full prevention plan.
• Research programs: Some academic medical centers offer APOE testing as part of Alzheimer’s prevention studies, often at no cost.

For APOE4 carriers

Having APOE4 doesn’t mean Alzheimer’s is inevitable. But it does indicate that prevention habits matter more. While this study focused on cellular mechanisms in the lab, previous research suggests lifestyle habits may also influence how APOE-related risk plays out in real life. Here are some of the key habits to focus on.

• Prioritize sleep: Poor sleep hits APOE4 carriers harder. During deep sleep, your brain clears out amyloid proteins (the kind that build up in Alzheimer’s). This cleanup system may work less efficiently in APOE4 carriers, making quality sleep even more important.
• Build muscle:  Strength Training seems especially protective for APOE4 carriers. Muscle produces a protein called BDNF that supports brain cell health and may help offset APOE4-related vulnerabilities.
• Get enough protein: Adequate protein helps maintain muscle and provides building blocks for brain chemicals. Many experts suggest 0.7-1 gram per pound of body weight for active adults focused on longevity.
• Cut back on ultra-processed foods: APOE4 carriers tend to have stronger inflammatory responses to poor diet. Sticking to whole foods and limiting refined sugars and industrial oils may help keep brain inflammation in check.

These 3 midlife habits add up over time, and the earlier you start, the better.

My friend Eva N. came up with the following excellent tip for those who live in the South Florida area. Apparently this study will give you a free blood test which will tell you if you are NOT, or if you are genetically predisposed to get Alzheimer’s.

You can reach out to the Alzheimer’s Research Center in Wellington for free screening 561-209-2400. www.researchalz.com

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Blood tests that matter

Beyond APOE status, a few key blood markers can help you keep tabs on your metabolic and brain health:

• Fasting glucose and fasting insulin: Insulin resistance is closely tied to Alzheimer’s risk, some researchers even call it “type 3 diabetes.” Keeping fasting glucose below 90 mg/dl and fasting insulin below 5 uiU/mL is considered optimal.
• ApoB: This measures particles that can clog arteries, and what’s good for your heart is good for your brain.
• AD-Detect (p-tau217): This newer blood test can pick up Alzheimer’s-related brain changes years before symptoms show up, giving you a window for early action.

The takeaway

Your APOE status is one piece of a much bigger picture. Knowing your genetic risk doesn’t seal your fat, it helps you plan smarter. For APOE4 carriers, that means being more intentional about sleep, strength training, and metabolic health.

DEATH in AMERICA

If you have morbid curiosity, this article will definitely pique your interest. We will talk about how many people die annually in the United States. What are the leading natural causes? What are the leading causes of death for people who die from something other than natural causes?

If you find this topic interesting, please continue reading and I think you will be somewhat fascinated by what I’ve learned.

Note: All the numbers listed in this article are approximate numbers.

How many people die annually in the United States? Between 3.0 and 3.5 million Americans die annually!

What is the leading cause of natural deaths? This is no surprise. The two leading causes of natural death are Heart Disease and Cancer. Another leading natural cause of death are Strokes. Approximately 166,000 people die annually from Strokes.

What are the leading causes of accidental deaths?

I found this category somewhat fascinating and surprising. For a long time, I knew a large number of Americans die from motor vehicle accidents every year. We clearly have thousands of morons on the road, who drive like idiots.

How many people die in motor vehicle accidents? The annual numbers is approximately 40,000. The states with the most motor vehicle deaths are Texas, California, and Florida. Mississippi and South Carolina usually have the largest number of per capita deaths from motor vehicle accidents.

The next category was somewhat of a surprise to me. A large number of deaths come from poisoning or overdoses. The majority of these are drug overdoses, specifically fentanyl and synthetic opioids.

If you thought the number of motor vehicle deaths was high, check out the number of the number of deaths from a drug overdose. The number is approximately 100,000 annually.

The other leading cause of unintentional deaths is another big surprise for me. That would be death from accidental falls. We’re not just talking about very old people, which is what you would expect. This category ranks just below motor vehicle accidents. I found this one hard to believe, but that is what the research is telling us.

HOMICIDES

This has always been a huge number throughout the history of America. In the last few years, the average number of homicides committed annually in America is around 22,000.

For those of you addicted to the Fox Propaganda Network, you should know that slightly more than approximately 99% of homicides are committed by Americans. We have no shortage of thugs and violent criminals in our country. Illegal immigrants commit approximately slightly less than 1% of homicides annually.

If you are not familiar with law enforcement, you should know the overwhelming majority of homicides are committed by someone who knows the victim. The killer is usually someone who thinks they will derive some kind of benefit, such as a huge life insurance policy or inheritance, from the death of someone they know very well.

A significant percentage of homicides are either husbands or boyfriends killing their wife or girlfriend, or wives or girlfriends, killing their husband or boyfriend. If they don’t commit the murder personally, they will hire a hitman to do the job.

The first thing a homicide detective investigates, is who benefits from the death of the victim, and/or, who thinks they will benefit from the murder.

The equation changes when there is a vicious, sick, serial killer who doesn’t know their victims. Serial killings are random occurrences where the victim has no relationship with the killer and that’s why they are often very difficult to solve.

Let’s return to who benefits from the murder. Very often, the detective will quickly learn the husband or wife, who killed their spouse, took out a major life insurance policy only 3-4 weeks before the murder. They are so stupid, they didn’t think the homicide detective would notice the motivating factor behind the murder.

Here’s an interesting case I’m familiar with and there are many just like it. The husband, in a middle-aged married couple, called 911 and screamed to the operator, his wife fell down a flight of stairs in their home and died. She died merely from falling down a flight of stairs?

Of course, the homicide detectives investigated and quickly learned the husband bought multiple life insurance policies on his wife, with a total value $4.6 million. What do you think the jury verdict was?

If you’re in law enforcement, you won’t be surprised by the next example. A wife calls 911 and screams that an intruder broke into their home while they were asleep in their bedroom and killed her husband.

If you’re experienced in law enforcement, your first thought would be, why did he only kill the husband. Why didn’t he also kill you, the only witness to the crime? Of course, we know the answer is, she hired a hitman to kill her husband, probably for life insurance or other financial benefits.

THE SOLAR SYSTEM – TRAVEL NUMBERS

When I was 10 years old, my entire universe was something we call Planet Earth. It is made up of continents, islands, and oceans. That was all I knew, and at that point in my young life, I thought I knew everything I needed to know.

But my life changed forever when our fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Seligson, took our class on a trip to the fantastic Hayden Planetarium. I was both stunned and impressed to learn the planet earth was just one of 9 planets, which orbit around a star we call the Sun. The Sun and those 8 planets make up the Solar System.

Note: Many scientists don’t consider Pluto a planet. They describe Pluto as a “Dwarf Planet”.

That fascinating new information rocked my world, but what I would learn next, was absolutely stunning. I also learned during our trip to the Hayden Planetarium, the Solar system, as large as it is, makes up just a tiny fraction of something much larger, called the Universe. Wow!

Prior to that trip, I had no idea that our planet, along with the entire Solar System, make up just tiny part of that amazing, but impossible to imagine Universe. From that point on, I read every book I could find in the public library about the Universe.

I quickly learned the Solar System resides in something called a Galaxy, and our galaxy is called the Milky Way. I will write about mind-boggling numbers on the Milky Way Galaxy in another article. But just for now, you need to know there are billions of other solar systems just in our galaxy.

What does that tell you about the odds of finding human life on other planets?

It’s been a long time since I was a fifth grader, but even today, there are still many unanswered questions about the Universe. But thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, we continue to learn so much that is literally mind boggling. That telescope will continue to reveal more information for years to come.

I’m happy to say I’m just as excited today, learning about the Universe, as I was as a fifth grader during that first visit to the Hayden Planetarium. Thank you, Mrs. Seligson, for changing my life forever.

Before we move on to some mind-boggling numbers, let me say the following. Here is the best scientific estimate, which tells us the Universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old. Please don’t ask me what was there before the universe. One interesting theory is the concept of parallel universes.

The James Webb Space Telescope has definitely helped us understand, to some extent, the size and magnitude of the Universe. However, there is still so much we don’t know and will never know. But there is a lot we’ve learned recently, and some of those facts are mind boggling. If you’re interested, keep reading my future articles.

Before we get into the truly incredible numbers you will learn about in my next article, let’s start with trying to comprehend numbers just for the Solar System. Please keep in mind, we are using manned spacecraft numbers. Unmanned rockets can travel much faster.

In addition, the numbers posted below are all estimates, which can vary, depending on where the planets are in their orbits. It also depends on the source and methodology used to calculate the time. Therefore, the numbers can vary by a wide margin, depending on who is making the calculations and when the trip is made.

However, these approximate numbers will give you a pretty good idea of how far away the other planets are from earth. Remember, the planets are always orbiting the sun, so their distance from earth is changing non-stop.

Even though the Solar System makes up just a tiny fraction of the Universe, the numbers are still massive.

SOLAR SYSTEM NUMBERS

• As most of you probably already know, the earth is approximately 94 million miles from the Sun.
• It takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds for sunlight, obviously traveling at the speed of light, to travel from the Sun to Earth. 
• Even though it appears as if you could travel in a helicopter to the moon, the journey would take 3 Days in a manned spacecraft.
• The 2 closest planets to Earth are Mercury and Venus.
• MERCURY: Although it’s actually far more complex, in theory, it would take a manned spacecraft 7-9 months to travel approximately 49 million miles from earth to Mercury.
• VENUS: It is approximately 38 million miles from earth to Venus. The trip would take about 3-5 months in a manned spacecraft.
• MARS: It is approximately 51 million miles from earth. It would take about 7-9 months to travel from Earth to Mars in a manned spacecraft.
• JUPITER: It is about 367 million miles from earth. It would take approximately 4-6 years to travel from Earth to Jupiter in a manned spacecraft.
• SATURN: It is about 750 million miles from earth. It would take about 5-7 years to travel from Earth to Saturn in a manned spacecraft.
• Uranus: It is about 7 billion Miles from earth. It would take about 9.5 years to travel from Earth to Uranus in a manned spacecraft.
• NEPTUNE: It is about 7 billion miles from earth. It would take about 11-12 years to travel from Earth to Neptune in a manned spacecraft.
• PLUTO: It is about 2 billion miles from earth. It would take approximately 12-15 years to travel from Earth to Pluto in a manned spacecraft.

As Large as the above numbers are, our Solar System is just one of billions located in the Milky Way Galaxy. Human beings cannot comprehend how large our galaxy is. But as large as it is, the Milky Way Galaxy encompasses just a tiny fraction of the Universe. Wow!