News | Alzheimer's-related gene may help women have higher fertility
A study reveals that although the Apolipoprotein-ε4 (APOE-ε4) allele increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease in older adults, this gene is still widely present in approximately 20% of the population. To understand why this negative gene has not been eliminated by natural selection, researchers found that the APOE-ε4 gene may be associated with increased fertility in women.
The researchers collaborated with the Tsimane indigenous people living in Bolivia to explore the role of the APOE-ε4 gene from an evolutionary anthropology perspective. The Tsimane people live by hunting and farming, with a lifestyle close to pre-industrial conditions, making them an ideal sample for studying health and aging.
The study found that women carrying the APOE-ε4 allele had higher fertility. Women with one copy of the APOE-ε4 gene gave birth to 0.5 more children than those without the gene, while women with two copies of the gene gave birth to two more children.
These results suggest that although the APOE-ε4 gene may cause disease in later life, its positive effect on early fertility explains why this gene has not been eliminated by natural selection.
Interestingly, the negative effects of this gene mainly appear in Western countries, while among the Tsimane population, despite having the same APOE-ε4 gene carrier rate as Western countries, their rates of dementia and Alzheimer's disease are among the lowest in the world.
Notícias | Gene relacionado ao Alzheimer pode aumentar a fertilidade feminina
News | Alzheimer's-related gene may help women have higher fertility
A study reveals that although the Apolipoprotein-ε4 (APOE-ε4) allele increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease in older adults, this gene is still widely present in approximately 20% of the population. To understand why this negative gene has not been eliminated by natural selection, researchers found that the APOE-ε4 gene may be associated with increased fertility in women.
The researchers collaborated with the Tsimane indigenous people living in Bolivia to explore the role of the APOE-ε4 gene from an evolutionary anthropology perspective. The Tsimane people live by hunting and farming, with a lifestyle close to pre-industrial conditions, making them an ideal sample for studying health and aging.
The study found that women carrying the APOE-ε4 allele had higher fertility. Women with one copy of the APOE-ε4 gene gave birth to 0.5 more children than those without the gene, while women with two copies of the gene gave birth to two more children.
These results suggest that although the APOE-ε4 gene may cause disease in later life, its positive effect on early fertility explains why this gene has not been eliminated by natural selection.
Interestingly, the negative effects of this gene mainly appear in Western countries, while among the Tsimane population, despite having the same APOE-ε4 gene carrier rate as Western countries, their rates of dementia and Alzheimer's disease are among the lowest in the world.
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Collected from the internet