Chris Hemsworth Learns He’s Genetically Predisposed to Alzheimer’s

Chris Hemsworth received some unsettling news following a genetic test. As part of his work on the National Geographic documentary Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, the 39-year-old was genetically tested and discovered he is more susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s disease. This series features Hemsworth pushing his body’s limits to overcome stress, perform at a high level, and fight against aging. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor revealed that in episode five, “Memory,” the doctor tells him that he carries two copies of the gene APOE4, which is related to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.

“They took all my bloodwork and did a bunch of tests and the plan was to on-camera tell me all the results and then talk about how you can improve this and that,” said Hemsworth, a father to twin sons Sasha and Tristan, 8, and daughter India, 10 with wife Elsa Pataky. “And Peter Attia, who is the longevity doctor in that episode, and overseeing a lot of the show, called [show creator] Darren [Aronofsky] and said, ‘I don’t want to tell him this on camera. We need to have an off-side conversation and see if he even wants this to be in the show.’ It was pretty shocking because he called me up and he told me.”

Based on the tests, the Thor: Love and Thunder actor has an eight to ten times higher risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the future. “The show, which initially was an exploration of longevity and, of course, should be fun, became even more relevant and important for me, even more poignant than I ever thought it would be,” Hemsworth told the outlet. “It was a really good catalyst to dive into everything I needed to be doing in either the prevention front or the management front or however you want to classify it. It’s not a pre-deterministic gene, but it is a strong indication.” Hemsworth said even though he felt thankful to have this knowledge and has the potential to lower his risk, he has experienced psychological and emotional stress from learning the news.

“Yeah, there was an intensity to navigating it. Most of us, we like to avoid speaking about death in the hope that we’ll somehow avoid it. We all have this belief that we’ll figure it out. Then to all of a sudden be told some big indicators are actually pointing to this as the route which is going to happen, the reality of it sinks in. Your own mortality.” Knowing he is at risk for Alzheimer’s was not entirely surprising since his grandfather also has the disease. “My concern was I just didn’t want to manipulate it and overdramatize it, and make it into some sort of hokey grab at empathy, or whatever, for entertainment,” said Hemsworth. “It’s not like I’ve been handed my resignation.” He added, “The idea that I won’t be able to remember the life I’ve experienced or my wife, my kids, this is probably my biggest fear.”

The MCU star seized the opportunity to improve his life. With his wellness app Centr, he shares the secrets to his physique and advocates living a healthy lifestyle. The recent news regarding Hemsworth’s health only underscored the importance of continuing the regimen. “If you look at Alzheimer’s prevention, the benefit of preventative steps is that it affects the rest of your life. When you have preposition to cardiovascular heart disease, cancer, anything—it’s all about sleep management, stress management, nutrition, movement, fitness. It’s all kind of the same tools that need to be applied in a consistent way.” Limitless with Chris Hemsworth is available to stream on Disney+.