Chris Hemsworth does not have Alzheimer's yet. He was just warned that he is at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease due to a genetic predisposition.
Marvel star Hemsworth was all over the headlines after he announced the shocking news of him possibly suffering from Alzheimer's in the future and due to this he now intends to take a break from acting and focus on his kids and his family. The news left his fans completely heartbroken. Hemsworth learned this while filming a new National Geographic series, "Limitless."
During the docuseries, the Australian actor was made to participate in extreme activities to push back on the natural decline that comes with age. During that process, Hemsworth was also made to undergo a battery of genetic tests and in those tests, the result shows that the Thor actor has two copies of the gene APOE4, one from each parent. According to numerous studies, a person with this genetic trait has an increased risk of inculcating Alzheimer's.
What does Chris Hemsworth have to say about the Alzheimer's scare?
For Chris Hemsworth, these results weren't a total surprise. According to the actor, his grandfather also suffered from Alzheimer's disease. However, hearing this news was very upsetting for him. During his interview with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth revealed that he is trying to use the knowledge he received from the specialist to his advantage. He said, "If I didn't know this [Alzheimer's] information, I wouldn't have made the changes I made. I just wasn't aware of any of it, so now I feel thankful that I have in my arsenal the sort of tools to best prepare myself and prevent things happening in that way."
Hemsworth also claimed that the series helped him put his life goals into perspective. The actor said, "It really triggered something in me to want to take some time off. And since we finished the show, I've been completing the things I was already contracted to do. Now when I finish this tour this week, I'm going home and I'm going to have a good chunk of time off and just simplify. Be with the kids, be with my wife."
What is Alzheimer's?
According to WebMD, Alzheimer's is a brain disorder and a progressive disease that destroys memory and other crucial mental functions, leaving the person unable to carry out the simplest tasks.
