Study shows people with a high omega-3 DHA level in their blood are at 49% lower risk of Alzheimer's

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SusanJ
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Study shows people with a high omega-3 DHA level in their blood are at 49% lower risk of Alzheimer's

Post by SusanJ »

And yes, it helps E4s.
Further, the researchers noted that an increased intake of DHA might lower risk for developing AD, particularly in higher-risk individuals such as those carrying the APOE-ε4 allele, suggesting that they may benefit more from higher DHA levels than non-carriers.
Summary is here: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06- ... blood.html

Full text here.
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Re: Study shows people with a high omega-3 DHA level in their blood are at 49% lower risk of Alzheimer's

Post by NF52 »

SusanJ wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 11:01 am And yes, it helps E4s.
Further, the researchers noted that an increased intake of DHA might lower risk for developing AD, particularly in higher-risk individuals such as those carrying the APOE-ε4 allele, suggesting that they may benefit more from higher DHA levels than non-carriers.
Summary is here: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-06- ... blood.html

Full text here.
Thanks for posting this, especially as it is from the long-running Framingham observational study.

It seems very much in line with the recommendations published in 2021 by a team from Weill Cornell Medicine in NYC and excerpted below. The full text is available at Precision Nutrition for Alzheimer’s Prevention in ApoE4 Carriers.
DHA can inhibit NLRP3 [120], correspondingly tune microglia function [121], and DHA can inhibit NFκB-MMP9 activity [122]. Thus, it is possible that DHA targets pathways adversely affected in ApoE4 carriers and may prevent DAM-mediated inflammation and pericyte dysfunction leading to BBB breakdown.

ApoE4 carriers may need higher DHA doses because they β-oxidize DHA at greater rates than non-carriers. In addition, carriers are more likely to exhibit BBB [blood-brain barrier] dysfunction that can impair DHA delivery to the brain... Importantly, a PET imaging study performed on young (mean age 35) healthy individuals observed a 16% increase in DHA incorporation into whole brain gray matter, with a 34% increase in the entorhinal cortex, in ApoE4 carriers as compared to non-carriers. This was hypothesized to be a compensatory mechanism for increased DHA utilization and increased metabolic demands also observed in carriers. Thus, those wishing to adopt a conservative approach may choose to consume more than the standard recommendation of two servings of fatty fish per week and may opt to additionally supplement...Krill oil and triglyceride-DHA may be a potential consideration although further studies are warranted. Krill oil is rich in phosphatidylcholine-conjugated DHA and may have favored access to the brain via the MSFD2A transporter [131]. Triglyceride-DHA is the most bioavailable and most effective at increasing serum DHA concentrations [132]. Given the likely increased DHA needs of ApoE4 carriers, 2 g/day may be considered a minimum dose.
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Re: Study shows people with a high omega-3 DHA level in their blood are at 49% lower risk of Alzheimer's

Post by mike »

So this brings up some questions. In the Precision Nutrition paper it mentions this about DHA
As mentioned above, DHA supplementation may be desirable in ApoE4 carriers to ensure an adequate dose. Krill oil and triglyceride-DHA may be a potential consideration although further studies are warranted. Krill oil is rich in phosphatidylcholine-conjugated DHA and may have favored access to the brain via the MSFD2A transporter [131]. Triglyceride-DHA is the most bioavailable and most effective at increasing serum DHA concentrations [132]. Given the likely increased DHA needs of ApoE4 carriers, 2 g/day may be considered a minimum dose.
Which is similar to what a lot of posts here discuss - the need to use particular sources of DHA that get past the Blood Brain Barrier. And yet the first study just looked at blood levels of DHA, which seems to suggest that more DHA of any kind prevents AD.

Any thoughts? Do I need to pay for expensive DHA, or will less expensive also work?
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Re: Study shows people with a high omega-3 DHA level in their blood are at 49% lower risk of Alzheimer's

Post by Tincup »

SusanJ wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 11:01 am And yes, it helps E4s.
Further, the researchers noted that an increased intake of DHA might lower risk for developing AD, particularly in higher-risk individuals such as those carrying the APOE-ε4 allele, suggesting that they may benefit more from higher DHA levels than non-carriers.
Full text here.
Looking at the quintiles, Q2 and Q4 have about the same risk, and Q3 is lower than Q4 by quite a bit.
Screen Shot 2022-06-10 at 4.00.59 PM.png
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