after finding out his risk for alzheimer's, chris hemsworth is taking time off
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new york, new york - november 16: chris hemsworth attends national geographic's "limitless" screening and conversation at the 92nd street y, new york on november 16, 2022 in new york city. (photo by theo wargo/getty images)
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hollywood superstar chris hemsworth says he’s taking a break from acting after discovering he’s at an elevated risk for developing alzheimer’s disease.
hemsworth, 39, found that he carries two of the apoe e4 gene, which puts him at higher risk of developing the condition earlier in life. according to the mayo clinic, approximately 15 to 25 per cent of the general population carries an apoe e4 gene.
his grandfather is currently living with alzheimer’s as well.
alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, according to the centers for disease control. it is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells, and deteriorates memory and thinking ability. there is no cure for alzheimer’s, and the damage it causes is irreversible. as of 2020, there were 569,600 canadians living with some form of dementia, and that number is expected to reach more than 950,000 by 2030, according to the alzheimer society of canada.
genotypes indicate risk
there are several types of the apoe genes that have different potential effects on the body. apoe e3 is the most common genotype, people with one apoe e4 are at a slightly elevated risk for alzheimer’s, and people with two copies of apoe e4 have a further elevated risk, according to joshua armstrong, a research scientist with the alzheimer society of canada.
“we don’t yet have a real understanding of how this genotype relates to the mechanisms and pathophysiology of alzheimer’s,” he says. “we do, however, have a sense of the amount of risk it carries.”
hemsworth got the news during filming of his disney+ and national geographic program, limitless with chris hemsworth, which followed him as he went on “a mission to live better for longer.” the six episodes see hemsworth learning to better cope with stress, shock, fasting, strength, memory, and acceptance of mortality. he learned of the potential risk of alzheimer’s while filming the memory episode.
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hemsworth says he’s focusing on preventive steps, such as making healthy food choices and exercising — lifestyle changes that once were thought to make little difference as to whether or not someone develops the brain disease.
“for a long time, alzheimer’s was seen as something we couldn’t do anything to prevent since it’s associated with aging,” says armstrong, who recently authored a study about how the disease can be impacted by modifiable risk factors. “although we still don’t know the specific mechanisms that bring on the different types of dementia, we do know enough to work to prevent it through things such as exercise, diet, sleep, stress control, and general healthier living.”
in fact, the alzheimer society of canada has 12 actions for a healthier brain at any age — one of which armstrong singles out: mental health.
“we see a lot of depression later in life, and that can have a negative impact on people’s brains as they get older,” he says.
there’s no cure or treatment for alzheimer’s disease
while there are treatments for people with alzheimer’s, they aim to manage symptoms, and don’t do much to reverse the disease. last year, the fda approved aducanumab, a medication that reduces amyloid deposits (proteins that can build on the walls of arteries in the brain) and could slow disease progression, though it has yet to be proven to impact cognitive decline.
while hemsworth, best known for his role as thor in the marvel movies, has taken some time off to spend more time with his family, he told vanity fair that he wasn’t retiring, “taking a more curated approach to things.”
chris arnold is a toronto-based freelance writer.
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