A Study Where ApoE 4 Is Associated With Longevity

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Kenny4/4
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A Study Where ApoE 4 Is Associated With Longevity

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5468225/
In a world of studies that are disheartening for us 4’s here is a potentially positive one. It shows that ApoE 4’s are proportionally over represented in a group of long lived individuals in Central China when compared to younger and middle aged controls. The results were not quite statistically significant if a .05 p value is used but would be quite significant if compared to the typical 50-60% decrease in population proportion we typically see in ApoE 4’s for “Long Lived Populations”.

My guess is the thrift and heartiness benefit of ApoE4 is at work here. Perhaps this would be along the lines of what we have seen in the Ibadan Nigeria and Tsimane Ecuador studies. Maybe Intermitent Fasting, exercise, heat and cold stresses can help ApoE4’s in the same way a frugal food source, parasitic caused nutrient depravation, exposure to the elements and physically demanding lifestyle has helped 4’s outlive or equal their ApoE2 and ApoE3 relatives in these remote regions. It could also be the case that ApoE 4’s are just affected less than 2’s and 3’s by a hard life but still would have a low survival rate. It seems more population studies are in order as they are cheap to do and we can learn a great deal from them. Food for Thought” , or should I say “Fast for Thought”?
sarahb12
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Re: A Study Where ApoE 4 Is Associated With Longevity

Post by sarahb12 »

My guess is a higher percentage of none APOE4 died at an earlier age from parasites or microbes. E4 confers some immunity benefits.
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Julie G
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Re: A Study Where ApoE 4 Is Associated With Longevity

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We had a previous member start a thread on this paper. I tried to merge topics, but I can't find it. We also posted this study on our Facebook page (September 20th) asking readers to share their best guess as to WHY. A great discussion resulted. For those who don't follow us on Facebook, here's our link. Unfortunately, you have to scroll down to the date indicated to find this post.

This is a great opportunity for me to give a shout out to our Theresa for helping with the heavy lifting on our Facebook page. Thanks also to CoachDD and shacherry for frequent post ideas. This post alone got 1700 hits with 671 people engaged. The Facebook page is an amazing vehicle for us to educate and share information about ApoE4 and it wouldn't be possible without your help. Deep bow, team.
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Julie G
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Re: A Study Where ApoE 4 Is Associated With Longevity

Post by Julie G »

Here's a somewhat similar study on Koreans that found E4 is NOT associated with a higher risk of mortality as previously reported. E4, along with E3, seemed to confer a neutral risk. The authors explain that previous findings may have resulted from the dataset being divided into only two categories: E4s and non-E4s. Given that E2s appear to have a true mortality advantage, in comparison E4s appeared to have been disadvantaged. But when divided into three sub-groups: E2, E3, and E4, the real hazard ratios were revealed. It's with mentioning that insulin resistance in both Asian populations (China and Korea) is very low and certainly plays a role in these findings.
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