The APOE gene, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, is known to be involved in cholesterol and lipid metabolism. Now the largest ever genetic study of Alzheimer’s disease, using DNA from more than 1.5 million people, has identified 90 points across the genome that were associated with an increased risk of both cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
The study focused on specific risk factors for heart disease (e.g., high BMI, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol) to see if any were genetically related to Alzheimer’s risk. It was found that only those genes involved in lipid metabolism also related to Alzheimer's risk.
Six of the 90 regions had very strong effects on Alzheimer’s and heightened blood lipid levels, including several points within the CELF1/MTCH2/SPI1 region on chromosome 11 that was previously linked to the immune system.
The same genetic risk factors were also more common in people with a family history of Alzheimer’s, even though they had not themselves developed dementia or MCI.
The findings suggest that cardiovascular and Alzheimer's risk co-occur because of a shared genetic basis.
They also suggest a therapeutic target — namely, pathways involved in lipid metabolism.
https://www.futurity.org/alzheimers-disease-heart-disease-cholesterol-1913312-2/
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/wuso-cda111118.php