Elderly people who carry a specific genetic variation linked to Alzheimer’s disease can protect their brain health by eating a diet rich in meat.

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that personalized dietary recommendations based on genetics could help prevent cognitive decline in a large part of the global population.

Every person carries a gene called APOE, which provides instructions for making of a protein that helps transport fats and cholesterol through the bloodstream. This gene comes in three main versions, known as variants, called e2, e3 and e4. A person inherits a variant from each parent, creating different genetic combinations. Apolipoproteins are a family of proteins that bind to fats, playing a major role in cholesterol metabolism in the liver and brain.

The APOE e4 variant is the oldest form of the gene in human evolutionary history. It first appeared millions of years ago, around the time our early ancestors switched to hunting and began consuming large amounts of meat. Some anthropologists propose that human ancestors went through a period several million years ago where they consumed diets composed almost entirely of meat. This timeline directly matches the appearance of the APOE e4 variant.

The newer variants, e3 and e2, appeared much later in human history. Human populations eventually shifted toward agriculture and began eating more plant-based foods. The e3 variant is thought to have appeared approximately 200,000 years ago, reflecting an adaptation to an omnivorous diet. Today, the e3 variant is the most common form found in all global populations.

In modern times, the APOE e4 variant is the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. People who inherit copies of this variant have a much higher chance of developing dementia than those with other combinations. In Northern Europe and North America, individuals with e3/e4 ​​or e4/e4 combinations account for nearly 70 percent of all Alzheimer’s cases.

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Source: prizrenpost