23andMe says my risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease during my lifetime is 5.59x the average. There are few side effects that would make me hesitate to try something like this to essentially reduce my risk back to average.
The less frequent side effects of aciclovir raw are interesting. Likewise for the prodrug valaciclovir (Valtrex). Some of these sound like they're a result of some level of impact on brain function. I can't help but wonder if there's any relation.
But you're right. The adverse effects here don't seem like much of a deterrent in the face of elevated risk.
> 23andMe says my risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease during my lifetime is 5.59x the average.
Be careful with those numbers. I would neither fully trust it nor dismiss it. But these genetic heritage companies have been known to get it wrong, a lot (and very wrong in some cases).
From what I heard those genetic tests are about as accurate as saying "You kinda look European and Europeans have a higher risk of Alzheimer's". Not wrong, but also not a guarantee.
That's not true, 23andme tests the APOE gene (and possibly some others too) which does indeed have a large affect on the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Although having the good version of APOE doesn't mean you'll never get it, and having the bad version doesn't mean you're guaranteed to get it. The odds do shift quite a bit, though.
>Although having the good version of APOE doesn't mean you'll never get it, and having the bad version doesn't mean you're guaranteed to get it.
Well, having the bad version of the genes certainly doesn't guarantee anything if you don't live long enough too. Only 5% of all people who have the disease have developed symptoms before the age of 65 after all, while average life expectancy of men in the US is at 76. It's very well likely to be predisposed to diseases like these and not develop symptoms because something else killed you before it could show up.
Couple things: First, 23andMe is not medical advice and I don't know how they get away with supplying such advice. Second, all medications incur risk to your body, so taking something like a Herpes medication for years in the hope that it might prevent Alzheimer's is a bit insane. A doctor needs to prescribe it (in the US, anyways) so you would have to have their approval anyways.
My mother has dementia, so this issue hits home for me, btw. But I don't see myself taking some medication in order to try and prevent something I may never end up getting. Herpes medications are not vitamins, if you get what I mean.
