Common Myths About Alzheimer’s Disease

1. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are the same. (FALSE)

• 2. Even if your parents or grandparents were diagnosed with Alzheier’s, it doesn’t mean you will also get it. (FALSE)

• 3. I won’t get Alzheimer’s disease because I’m too young - not yet 70. (FALSE)

• 4. As we get older, it’s only natural to develop Alzheimer’s disease. (FALSE)

• 5. There are no treatments for people with Alzheimer’s disease. (FALSE)

• 6. You frequently forget things, so I must have the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. (FALSE)

• 7. You can buy supplements online to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. (FALSE)

• 8. At-home genetic tests can tell me if I have or will have Alzheimer’s disease. (FALSE)

• 9. There’s nothing you can do to help fight Alzheimer’s disease. (FALSE)

• 10. The only way to know if a person has Alzheimer’s disease is to have an autopsy performed after death. (FALSE)

Here’s Why These Statements Are False…

1. Dementia refers generally to conditions that lead to impaired memory, thinking, reasoning, and behavior, and Alzheimer’s is just one type of dementia. The terms are likely confused because Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia and the most well-known.

2. Alzheimer’s is complex, and scientists don’t yet fully understand what causes it in most people. Research suggests that in most individuals, a host of factors beyond genetics play a role in the development and course of the disease. Environmental and lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, exposure to pollutants, and smoking may also affect a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s.

3. While the greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer’s is age, this does not mean that only older adults develop it. For most people with Alzheimer’s, it’s true that symptoms first appear in their mid-60s or beyond. However, some people experience symptoms earlier, even as young as in their 30s.

4. Many people become more forgetful as they age, and some forgetfulness, such as losing things from time to time, is normal. However, common signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s, such as making poor judgments and decisions a lot of the time, having problems recognizing friends and family, or losing track of the date or time of year are not a normal part of aging.

5. In recent years, significant progress has been made toward developing better treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s. Several medications are now available to treat symptoms and slow the disease in some people. Coping strategies are also available to help manage behavioral symptoms.

6. Even though memory problems are typically one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s, not all memory problems mean a person has the disease. Some forgetfulness is normal as we age.

7. There are many websites and advertisements that promise certain supplements can effectively prevent, delay, treat, or cure diseases such as Alzheimer’s. In some cases, the information may seem reliable, offering advice on healthy aging and Alzheimer's to gain trust and promote their products. However, there is no scientific evidence backing these claims, and currently, no supplement has been proven to delay, prevent, treat, or cure Alzheimer’s.

8. You may have heard about at-home genetic tests. These tests extract DNA from a person’s saliva and provide reports of the genetic data. It’s important to note that no genetic test can definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s. Genetic tests can identify certain rare genetic variants that cause early-onset Alzheimer’s, as well as genetic variants that increase a person’s risk for the disease. FDA has approved one of these tests for at-home use. This test shows if a person carries a form of the APOE gene, APOE ε4. People with this variant are at an increased risk for Alzheimer’s, but it does not mean that they will definitely develop the disease.

9. In general, leading a healthy lifestyle may help reduce risk factors that have been associated with Alzheimer’s and other age-related health problems.

There is no proven way to prevent Alzheimer’s. However, there are steps you can take to help reduce your risk for this disease. A risk factor is something that may increase a person’s chance of developing a disease. Some risk factors can be controlled, while others, such as the genes you inherit, cannot.

10. Before researchers developed biomarker tests in the early 2000s, the only sure way to know whether a person had Alzheimer’s was through autopsy, a procedure that is performed after death. Now, lab and imaging tests are available to help a doctor or researcher see the biological signs of the disease in a living person.