Why carry out this study?

Alzheimer’s disease is a major cause of death and disability and constitutes a large economic burden.

ApoE-ε4 is a strong genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

This review investigated whether this genetic risk could be modified by environmental factors, specifically physical activity or exercise.

What was learned from the study?

Several studies have examined interactions and associations between exercise and ApoE-ε4 on mechanisms that contribute to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Exercise may mitigate the negative effects of ApoE-ε4 on amyloid-beta 42 metabolism, neuroinflammation, neurotrophic factors, cerebral blood vessels and cognitive function, and thereby reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.