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Why women are affected more than men by Alzheimer's

Why women are affected more than men by Alzheimer's

Scientists have identified a gene that appears to increase the risk of Alzheimer's in women, providing a potential new clue as to why women are more affected by the disease than men.

The gene, O6-Methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase, or MGMT, plays an important role in how the body repairs DNA damage in both men and women. But researchers found no link between MGMT and Alzheimer's in men.

"Women, due to unique genetic risk factors such as APOE ε4 and MGMT, and sex-specific risk factors, such as the sudden drop in estrogen during the peri-menopausal transition, may be on a faster path to disease than men ", Said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at the Schmidt College of Medicine at Atlantic University of Florida, who was not included in the study.