My lower risk for Alzheimer's may be the silver lining
to being e2/e2 at APOE.
Image courtesy of ImUnicke
When last I left you in my personal genomic journey, I had just discovered that I was e2/e2 at the APOE gene. I was quietly giddy* about this as it meant I was at a lower risk for getting Alzheimer’s. And even more importantly, it meant I didn’t have e4 which would have significantly increased my chances of getting this form of dementia.
Digging a bit deeper I found some more good news. People with e2/e2 usually have lower levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol that increases the risk for a heart attack. This is consistent with my low levels of LDL. Two good effects from one allele!
But there are no free lunches in genetics. For example, having two copies of the delta32 version of the CCR5 gene makes you pretty resistant to HIV infection. But it makes you more susceptible to the West Nile Virus. Having one copy of the sickle cell version of the hemoglobin gene makes you resistant to malaria. But your kids might end up with full blown sickle cell anemia. And so on.