Longevity gene might protect APOE4 carriers from Alzheimer’s risk
The findings could affect genetic counselling, experts say
People with the APOE4 allele, known to raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, may be protected if they are heterozygous for a particular genetic variant that has been linked to longevity, US researchers say.
California’s Stanford University researchers investigated the possible association of carrying one copy of a variant of the Klotho gene known to be associated with longevity (Klotho-VS) and Alzheimer disease risk in their study of 22 late-onset Alzheimer’s disease cohorts with genotype data.
