APOE4 people smarter?

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Jaque
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APOE4 people smarter?

Post by Jaque »

Dr. Nadir Mir Ali claims most APOE4 people are smarter than APOE3 or 2 people! See this new video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wXOMwxMdW0
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Re: APOE4 people smarter?

Post by NF52 »

Jaque wrote:Dr. Nadir Mir Ali claims most APOE4 people are smarter than APOE3 or 2 people! See this new video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wXOMwxMdW0
Hi Jacque,

Thanks for sharing this video titled Insulin resistance and ApoE4 - A perfect storm Here is Dr. Ali's program description in his own words, with my emphasis added:
Cerebral Insulin resistance is a primary driver of dementia. This leads to reduced glucose utilization by the brain. Apo4 can potentially worsen brain insulin resistance, with is worsened by the Standard American Diet. The presentation is about how high insulin levels down-regulates insulin receptor contributing to cerebral insulin resistance & leading to accumulation of amyloid beta in the brain.
I enjoyed Dr. Ali's explanations, and while some of the science can be technical, he does a great job of explaining it." He doesn't mention IQ until about 22:00 minutes into this 31 minute video and "trigger alert", he also uses a slide that people who like President Trump will find offensive (and apologizes for it in his comments on YouTube). He does mention some evidence that ApoE4 brains may absorb produce more cholesterol in both the liver and the brain, and in the brain that may keep neurons healthy and contribute to some studies finding higher levels of verbal intelligence in people with Apoe4. He does acknowledge that cholesterol has been "stigmatized, so nobody studies cholesterol in the brain", so we don't really know if this is true. But it's nice to have something good to claim for ourselves!

I think this talk was from the Low Carb conference just last week in Denver, since it was posted March 17, so I'll copy Theresa B and Tincup, two of our Moderators, who I think attended that conference and may want to share their perspective on this timely post--as we're all hunkered down in view of our regfrigerators! :roll:
TheresaB wrote:
Tincup wrote:
4/4 and still an optimist!
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Re: APOE4 people smarter?

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Jaque wrote:Dr. Nadir Mir Ali claims most APOE4 people are smarter than APOE3 or 2 people! See this new video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wXOMwxMdW0
NF52 wrote:I think this talk was from the Low Carb conference just last week in Denver, since it was posted March 17, so I'll copy Theresa B and Tincup, two of our Moderators, who I think attended that conference and may want to share their perspective on this timely post
Yes, I was at the conference last weekend (we sat in chairs 6 feet apart from each other) where this was presented. Dr Ali didn't say we're smarter, he cited two studies that indicate ApoE4 is associated with higher education and better cognitive performance when younger, here is the slide:
ApoE4 associated with higher education.jpg
Of course that was the least of his presentation. This presentation is an interesting discussion on Insulin Resistance and why it affects ApoE4s in particular. I've had to watch it a couple times because it's a little "sciencey" but he presents some information I had not heard before as in how ApoE4 livers are much better at chylomicron remnant uptake and that our brain's insulin receptors are more likely to get trapped in endosomes. His question at the end of his presentation is provocative, should we be cyclically activating our insulin receptors, and if so how? Dr Ali doesn't know the answer to that question he posits, and I don't think anyone has the answer.
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Re: APOE4 people smarter?

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No he didn't claim about smartness. That was my interpretation of "higher education and greater cognitive abilities" for a catchy title! and Re: "cyclically activating our insulin receptors"
In his another talk on "intermittent fasting" he claims that fasting achieves that with appropriate foods. See it here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yprtVjBKic
It is a year old and he has changed his mind in the latest video about needing longer than 18-hour fast (3 day fast) for some people.
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Re: APOE4 people smarter?

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Jaque wrote:Re: "cyclically activating our insulin receptors"
In his another talk on "intermittent fasting" he claims that fasting achieves that with appropriate foods.
Did he define "appropriate foods" in that presentation? That was one the questions he asked in his second to last presented slide, regarding cyclical activation of insulin receptors:
  • How often
    How intensely
    With what
Here's that slide
cycilng insulin receptors.jpg
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Re: APOE4 people smarter?

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Overall, full-scale IQ scores were lower by 1.91 points for each APOE4 allele an individual carried. A person can have up to two APOE4 alleles, and the gene's effect on IQ performance multiplies with each allele present. Boys scored .33 points lower on IQ tests, and girls scored almost 3 points lower for each APOE4 allele. The traits most affected related to reasoning. 

The IQ difference seems small. But long-term, Reynolds said the findings can mean reduced cognitive reserve as the APOE4 carrier ages, with the disadvantage becoming progressively magnified. Cognitive reserve is the brain’s ability to navigate problems and improvise. Cognitive reserve theory holds that people with reduced reserve have more trouble withstanding disease as they age.  

Research has also shown an association between lower childhood IQ and increased biological aging—cell and tissue damage—and cardiovascular disease before age 65. 

“Our results suggest that cognitive differences associated with APOE may emerge early and become magnified later in the life course, and if so, childhood represents a key period of intervention to invest in and boost reserves,” Reynolds wrote in the paper, titled “APOE effects on cognition from childhood to adolescence

https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2019/07/1 ... -adulthood
I have not looked at the study, but FYI.
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Re: APOE4 people smarter?

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Here is the original paper's abstract.
A potential candidate gene that could contribute to the education process is the apolipoprotein E (apo E) gene that has been shown to correlate with memory function and memory decline. We measured apo E polymorphism in groups of probands with different levels of education selected from a population sample. In the group of probands with higher education (n = 82), 24.4% had the e4 allele, compared with 7.3% who had the e2 allele. A reverse association was found in the group that left school aged 15 (n = 36) – 8.3% had the e4 allele and 13.9% had the e2 allele. Eighty-seven percent of the probands with the allele e4 reached higher education, compared to only 54.5% with the allele e2. The difference between the groups is statistically significant (p = 0.039), and this may indicate some role for the apo E polymorphism in subjects` intelligence or ability to learn.
Source: Hubacek J, A, Pitha J, Škodová Z, Adámková V, Lánská V, Poledne R: A Possible Role of Apolipoprotein E Polymorphism in Predisposition to Higher Education. Neuropsychobiology 2001;43:200-203. doi: 10.1159/000054890
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