Plasmalogens- exciting new evidence

[Stavia]

Scribbling

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[circular]

Beautiful Stavia!

[Tincup]

Thanks for explaining the sn-_ positions. That helps a lot!!

[Orangeblossom]

So the main problem is that we have less plasmalogens as we age, and these are special types of phospholids. There are certain types of them which are especially important for use to have.

They generally seem to be lower as we age, which seems to be mainly due to ageing, and possibly exacerbated by things like consuming too much sugar (link to high HBA1C) so in terms of what we can do about it now, that is something most of us are tackling anyway. I wonder about diet and would a good balance of fats help and low GI..maybe raising HDL? It seems HDL and total cholesterol levels fall with age for example in this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7963277

It seems DHA has a modest effect on helping things?

In terms of the ageing and peroxisomes, (where the plasmalogens are made) I am still interested in the people who kept higher levels as they reached old age. Was there something about them which preserved the peroxisomes? Could it be more about oxidation of the membranes, maybe less of that took place and therefore preserved the membranes more, or a combination of things?

I wonder what things we can do while the food supplements are going through trials. And in particular for the type needed.

[Orangeblossom]

From the second paper above:

"Of particular note, although the brain contains all of the peroxisomal machinery to synthesize both DHA and PlsEtn, evidence suggests that the liver is the major source of these molecules in the adult. Radiolabeled tracer stud- ies have shown that the dietary precursor of DHA, 18:3, is readily absorbed, stored in triacylglycerols, and then con- verted to DHA and incorporated into phospholipids in the liver. DHA is then transported to the brain in this phospholipid form via the bloodstream (98). Therefore, a peripheral correction of these phospholipids would be expected to have a CNS effect."

So are the peroxisomes not needed for this latter part to take place, I wonder? I mean, could it take place even if the ageing had caused problems with the peroxisomes and catalase.

Also I wonder about the enzyme mentioned, the one which breaks down the plasmalogen and increases as we age. Wonder if something could be done about that.

[circular]

"Radiolabeled tracer stud- ies have shown that the dietary precursor of DHA, 18:3, is readily absorbed, stored in triacylglycerols, and then con- verted to DHA and incorporated into phospholipids in the liver. DHA is then transported to the brain in this phospholipid form via the bloodstream (98). Therefore, a peripheral correction of these phospholipids would be expected to have a CNS effect."

I was taking Nordic Naturals 'Omega-3 Phospholipids' for DHA ('The Potent Alternative to Krill Oil'). It is actually low per serving in DHA, but higher in phospholipids, and the DHA is already phospholipid-bound. This is the one Dr. Rhonda Patrick uses.

...combines one of our top-selling triglyceride-form fish oils with phospholipid-bound omega-3s from sustainably sourced herring roe. This unique formulation has naturally occurring phosphatidylcholine...

Serving: 2 gels (small)

Total Omega-3s 500 mg
EPA 190 mg
DHA 200 mg
Other O-3s 110 mg

Total phospholipids 350 mg
Phosphatidylcholine 300 mg
Other phospholipids 50 mg

I had to stop this because I'm so sensitive to fish oil making my joints too lax (risking injury in my case) , but others may want to consider using twice a day or combine with other DHA and phospholipid supplements/foods.

[Orangeblossom]

Aging, Age-Related Diseases and Peroxisomes https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/34547409.pdf

Section on ageing, peroxisomes and AD.

Seems to be a link with inflammation leading to increased problems with peroxisomes in ageing.

[Searcher]

"Decreased level of PE-PL [plasmalogen] represents rather a consequence than a cause of AD. However, this does not exclude the possibility that decreased PE-PL level influence the progression of AD as plasmalogens act as antioxidants in cellular membranes and have other important functions in the brain."

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 070.x/full

2011 paper, so probably more is known by now.

[Orangeblossom]

It seems it's been researched for quite some time. Yes I wondered that, how much is a consequence and how much a cause. Maybe a mixture of both...

If you think about how plasmalogen levels can decline years before AD symptoms, well glucose levels used by the brain do too...so it could well be that even at that stage it could be a consequence rather than a cause.

[Searcher]

I found an organic lamb farmer prepared to provide me with lamb brains. That's one of the richest sources of plasmalogens.

Why am I hesitating?

Because neural tissue can contain prions. These can transmit disease. Gajdusek won a Nobel prize for discovering the cause of the disease kuru among people who ate brains in Papua New Guinea. Don't ask which brains.

Even if these organic lambs are completely pasture fed, the abbatoir might accept other animals. Still wavering, and eating mussels meanwhile.