When actor Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor in the Marvel series, agreed to join a documentary exploring longevity several years ago, he figured he would learn about how to live better so that he could live longer. But he never anticipated he would find out something that could dramatically affect what those future years could look like.

In the documentary series Limitless , released in 2022 by National Geographic , Hemsworth took a battery of tests to learn what he could do to extend his healthy years. A genetic test revealed, however, that he has two copies of the risk gene for Alzheimer’s. While the genes aren’t a guarantee he will develop the neurodegenerative disease, carriers have an eight to 10-fold higher risk.

The diagnosis wasn’t a total surprise; Hemsworth’s grandfather ha

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