Medically reviewed by Dr. Ari Magill
First described by Alois Alzheimer in 1906, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurologic disorder that disrupts memory and thinking. Despite understanding a lot about its symptoms, two big questions remain: What causes Alzheimer’s? When will there be a definitive cure for AD? Unfortunately, we don’t have one cause or a known cure. But based on what science has shown us, AD likely develops from an interaction between your aging brain, genes, lifestyle, and environment.
Nearly 6 million Americans older than 65 are living with Alzheimer’s and that could grow to 14 million by 2050, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Yet, many people, sometimes even those diagnosed, hold “myths” or misconceptions about Alzheimer’s.
Below, we debunk 13 common Alzheimer’s myths.
Myth 1: Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Are the Same Thing
While often used interchangeably, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are distinctly different but closely related terms.
“One of the biggest misconceptions about dementia is that every kind of memory loss someone might experience is Alzheimer’s disease—and that’s not true,” Dr. Nancy Sicotte, neurologist, and chair of the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai, said on the hospital blog.
Dementia is the general term for a progressive syndrome characterized by forgetfulness, difficulty thinking and reasoning, emotional instability, paranoia, and, in some cases, aggression. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60-80 percent of all dementia cases.
Myth 2: I Will Develop Alzheimer’s Disease if My Parent Has It
After watching a parent succumb to Alzheimer’s, it’s only natural to wonder, “Am I next?”
The good news: genes are only one part of the equation, and 99 percent of Alzheimer’s cases are not hereditary.
“Even though family history adds to the overall risk, age still usually trumps it quite a bit. It means your risk is higher, but it’s not that much higher if you consider the absolute numbers,” Dr. Gad Marshall, assistant professor of neurology, at Harvard Medical School, told Harvard Health Publishing.
Myth 3: Memory Loss Is a Natural Part of Aging
The human brain is “crazy busy”—jumping all around, sorting and retrieving all kinds of information. So, it’s normal to forget things as you age. But Alzheimer’s symptoms like forgetfulness affecting daily activities, such as keeping appointments or taking medications, and becoming disoriented about times or places, are not.
Essentially, “Alzheimer’s is not equivalent to an inconvenience or trivial absentmindedness—it causes loss of independence within five years of symptom onset and is eventually fatal after an average of 10 years,” Dr. Sam Gandy, Mount Sinai Chair in Alzheimer’s Research, told Bright Focus Foundation.
Myth 4: Alzheimer’s Disease Is not Fatal
Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the US. The Alzheimer’s Association notes that out of the top 10 causes of death, Alzheimer’s is the only disease that cannot be slowed, reversed, or cured.
“While the actual neurological impairments Alzheimer’s causes are not direct causes of death, they do lead to an increased risk of death,” Dr. Christine Bishara, an internist in New York, told Care.com.
Death in Alzheimer’s patients is usually due to pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary embolism, malnutrition, and dehydration. Injuries from falls and delirium also impact the death rate.
Myth 5: Only Older People Can Get Alzheimer’s
Although it’s rare, about 5 percent of Alzheimer’s diagnoses have an early onset (EOAD), sometimes called “younger onset.” This generally means Alzheimer’s can affect someone in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. Though the exact cause of early onset remains unclear in most cases, genetic risk plays a larger role than in later onset AD. Autosomal dominant mutations in the Amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene, Presenilin-1 gene, and Presenilin-2 gene have been identified, and they account for about 5 percent of all EOAD cases.
Myth 6: Alzheimer’s Can Be Caused by Aluminum, Flu Shots, Silver Fillings, or Aspartame
Even after 30-plus years, the Aluminum Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s is far from being demonstrated because of the mixed and inconclusive evidence.
“If aluminum plays any role, it’s very small. And there are many other, much more important risk factors to study,” Dr. Amy Borenstein, Professor of Epidemiology at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, UC-San Diego, told the Chicago Tribune.
If Alzheimer’s is your worry, limit excessive exposure and keep your mind active and your body healthy.
Research showed that aspartame could play a very small role in some occupational settings. There were also theories that flu vaccine and silver dental fillings are risk factors for Alzheimer’s. However, the evidence doesn’t yet show these things directly cause Alzheimer’s since an association doesn’t prove causality. There does not appear to be any link between the flu shot and AD. In fact, a UTHealth Houston study showed that flu shots may reduce the risk of AD by 40 percent.
Myth 7: There Are Treatments Available to Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
We are still years away from a definitive cure for Alzheimer’s. However, some supportive medications like Aricept and Namenda can temporarily improve symptoms. In 2021, the FDA approved Aduhelm (aducanumab), a monoclonal antibody that targets the underlying pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. The clinical effects of the drug were modest but showed a potentially disease-modifying effect.
In the statement issued, Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said, “Currently available therapies only treat symptoms of the disease; this treatment option is the first therapy to target and affect the underlying disease process of Alzheimer’s. As we have learned from the fight against cancer, the accelerated approval pathway can bring therapies to patients faster while spurring more research and innovation.”
The two large clinical trials testing Aduhelm’s ability to slow cognitive decline were mixed, and there are potentially serious side effects, the most serious being amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA).[3]
Myth 8: You Can Buy Supplements Online to Prevent or Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
Natural supplement sellers will throw a lot of deceptive marketing words at you. The bad news is that “most supplements have very little evidence to support their use, particularly evidence gathered from humans,” Penny Dacks, Ph.D., former Assistant Director of the Program at Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, told Alzheimers.net.
A few trials of natural products like Ginkgo biloba for the improvement of cognitive function in healthy individuals and those suffering from Alzheimer’s have shown some modest effects, but direct evidence is lacking.
Myth 9: Doctors Cannot Definitively Diagnose Someone With Alzheimer’s Disease Until After Death
Alzheimer’s diagnosis is never straightforward. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there isn’t a single definitive diagnostic test for AD. Traditionally, AD diagnosis relied on brain biopsies. Now, there are clinical diagnostic criteria and biomarkers that let clinicians diagnose AD clinically with sensitivities ranging between 85-90 percent, although biomarkers are often not utilized due to patient preference (such as not wanting a lumbar puncture, which requires a needle inserted into the lower back) and insurance coverage issues.
Myth 10: An At-Home Genetic Test Can Tell Me if I Have (or Will Have) Alzheimer’s Disease
At-home genetic testing kits for Alzheimer’s markers may give hints about the likelihood of developing the disease. However, it’s “important that people understand that genetic risk is just one piece of the bigger puzzle,” Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, stated.
Experts have found that inheriting one or two copies of APOE4 does not mean that you will definitely develop Alzheimer’s, and not having the variant doesn’t put you in the clear.
“It’s a statistical risk, but it’s not an absolute risk,” Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, MD, a behavioral neurologist in the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Program and a professor in the Department of Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute, told Cleveland Clinic.
Myth 11: Researchers Know What Causes Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease develops as we age, when the brain cells responsible for memory and other cognitive functions begin to shrink or die. Over the past few decades, scientists have blamed Alzheimer’s on misfolded proteins, gene mutations, alterations in neural pathways, lifestyle factors, and even the environment. There are no complete answers yet, although amyloid beta clumping, hyperphosphorylated tau tangles, and neuroinflammation play important roles.[4]
In a recent review, Bryce Vissel, an Australian neuroscientist, concluded that “Alzheimer’s is so common in people at an advanced age that I think it can only be either some intrinsic property of the brain or an infection.”[5]
Myth 12: Both Genders Are at Equal Risk for the Disease
While Alzheimer’s disease does not discriminate, it does hit women harder than men. According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2014 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, women over 65 have a 1-in-6 chance of developing memory loss, while men of the same age have a 1-in-11 chance. Much of this gender gap may be due to a combination of factors, including age, sex chromosomes, hormones, stronger immune responses in women, or genetic risk factors like APOE4.
A 2010 study showed that “being a caregiver is, in itself, a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” which was pointed out by Dr. Annemarie Schumacher, President of the Women’s Brain Project (WBP), Switzerland.[6]
Myth 13: Alzheimer’s Disease Cannot Be Prevented
You can’t change your age and genes, but you can certainly take a few steps to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Research shows that up to 40 percent of currently diagnosed cases of Alzheimer’s could have been prevented if we had known then what we know now about lifestyle risks,” neuropsychologist Jessica Caldwell, Ph.D., told Cleveland Clinic.
Staying mentally and physically fit, eating right (preferably a Mediterranean diet), getting enough sleep, and keeping a positive attitude are all good ways to fight off cognitive impairment.
David Snowdon’s Nun study is great supportive evidence. This revolutionary experiment is based on periodic genetic and physical evaluation of a group of 678 nuns (aged 75 to 107 years) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The study demonstrated that nuns who exhibited a positive mental outlook early on in their life were more likely to live longer and less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
The Bottom line
Alzheimer’s disease currently has no cure. Researchers are leading the fight by advancing their understanding of the disease, discovering potential ways to lower the risk, and developing promising diagnostic and treatment modalities. Clearing up the misconceptions will help you understand Alzheimer’s, how to respond to friends and family who may be affected, and speak to your physician about the latest treatments.
References
- CDC. (2020, October 26). Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/alzheimers.htm
- BrightFocus Foundation. (2021, August 31). Five Myths about Alzheimer’s Disease. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/article/five-myths-about-alzheimers-disease
- Salloway, S., Chalkias, S., Barkhof, F., Burkett, P., Barakos, J., Purcell, D., Suhy, J., Forrestal, F., Tian, Y., Umans, K., Wang, G., Singhal, P., Budd Haeberlein, S., & Smirnakis, K. (2022, January 1). Amyloid-Related Imaging Abnormalities in 2 Phase 3 Studies Evaluating Aducanumab in Patients With Early Alzheimer Disease. JAMA Neurology, 79(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2021.4161
- Jack, C. R., Bennett, D. A., Blennow, K., Carrillo, M. C., Feldman, H. H., Frisoni, G. B., Hampel, H., Jagust, W. J., Johnson, K. A., Knopman, D. S., Petersen, R. C., Scheltens, P., Sperling, R. A., & Dubois, B. (2016, July 1). A/T/N: An unbiased descriptive classification scheme for Alzheimer disease biomarkers. Neurology, 87(5), 539–547. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000002923
- Mackenzie, D. (2020, December 3). We may finally know what causes Alzheimer’s – and how to stop it. New Scientist. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://www.newscientist.com/article/2191814-we-may-finally-know-what-causes-alzheimers-and-how-to-stop-it/
- Azerbaijani Vision. (2018, July 17). Why Alzheimer’s hits women harder than men. Azvision.az. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://en.azvision.az/news/90032/why-alzheimers-hits-women-harder-than-men.html
- Cleveland Clinic. (2022, February 7). 9 Tips for Women To Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Retrieved October 22, 2022, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-women-can-prevent-alzheimers/
