Have you ever tried salmon roe?
This is our families first time to eat this after spending the majority of the morning looking at Dr. Rhonda Patricks research over Alzheimers and APOE4.
My interest in APOE4 originates from me finding out I have one APOE4 allele using genetic testing services. Having one APOE4 allele increases Alzheimer’s disease risk by 2-3 fold and have two alleles increases the risk up to 15-fold.
It is the largest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease aside from age.
What this has to do with salmon roe (fish eggs) is roe in naturally rich in DHA and EPA in the phospholipid form. When you have a genetic allele for APOE4 it can mean DHA is harder to get absorbed in your brain. DHA regulates brain glucose uptake, which prevents amyloid-β plaque and tau tangle formation (the sticky stuff that is the hallmark sign of Alzheimers).
DHA consumed in most fish oil supplements is mostly in the ethyl esters form, which doesn’t absorb that well.. Some higher quality sources of fish oil can be found in the re-esterified triglyceride form which shows much better data on absorption over ethyl esters.
It may be even more important for people with the APOE4 gene to consume fish in the phospholipid form which you can find high quantities in salmon roe. You can find other sources of DHA phospholipids in krill oil, and in lesser amounts actual wild caught fish.
DHA in a specific phospholipid form called lysophosphatidylcholine DHA (DHA-lysoPC) have an easier making it through the tight junctions of the blood brain barrier in patients with APOE4.
For more information on this subject I highly encourage you to check out Dr. Rhonda Patricks work on her podcast, and her website. Her instagram handle is @foundmyfitness
Having this gene doesn’t determine your destiny, and you can still develop these conditions without the gene present.
General recommendations
- Sleep (sleep helps our brains clean themselves through the glymphatic system)
- Exercise (Exercise can help increase BDNF (Brain Derived Nootropic Factor)
- Limit alcohol
- Increase Omega 3 index through eating a variety of fish sources, and supplementing with high quality fish oil and krill oil.
- Manage Blood sugar and lipid markers
- Make sure your body is methylating correctly, check for MTHFR
- The optimal diet is still being debated, and I don’t know the exact answer, my opinion is limiting saturated fats and high inflammatory foods would help.
Did you find this helpful? If so, follow us and leave a comment. Do you have APOE4? We look forward to hearing what has been suggested to you!
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