Does Omega 3 Index reflect contents of brain?

[sandyt]

Hey Everyone,
(edited to omega 3 index instead of ratio)
This is my first post since finding out that my LDLP is 1761. (I am apoe3/4). I have been voraciously reading everything I can get my hands on including the excellent primer on this site. I saw the paper by Rhonda Patrick showing the difficulty that Apoe4's have transporting DHA across the bbb. That made me wonder if a blood test for omega 3 index would be representative of what is actually present in the brain and not just the cells of the rest of the body.
Any ideas would be appreciated.

[samspade]

I saw the paper by Rhonda Patrick showing the difficulty that Apoe4's have transporting DHA across the bbb.

Can you provide a link to the Rhonda Patrick paper? Thanks, I'm a 3/4 and have persistent high blood pressure. My BP seems to be coming down with increased Omega 3 foods.

Thanks

[sandyt]

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-release ... 37564.html

This is one place I saw it. Also, heard her talk on a couple of podcasts.

[circular]

Here's a link to an earlier thread about Dr. Patrick's paper.

[srbogert]

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-release ... 37564.html
This is one place I saw it. Also, heard her talk on a couple of podcasts.

Welcome to the group SandyT! I see that you've been a member since November, but we always try to greet and welcome people after their first post. Thanks for the great question about Dr. Patrick's paper. I hope that the thread refernced by circular was helpful.

You may have already be aware of these things, but I'd like to recommend a couple of site references for you to check out. First is the Primer written by site member Stavia. She is a physician who is 4/4. Her primer does a great job of summarizing all the current (mostly non-controversial) knowledge about APOE. It provides a starting point for people to begin their own more in depth studies. The second resource for you is the HOW TO Guide. This guide will help you navigate the site, do efficient searches, and show you different ways to post questions and replies.

Again - Welcome! The site works best as we all participate.

[SusanJ]

That made me wonder if a blood test for omega 3 index would be representative of what is actually present in the brain and not just the cells of the rest of the body. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Hi sandyt, and welcome.

Great question, and I don't know the answer. You could try contacting Rhonda directly to see if she knows the answer. Oftentimes, when we contact authors, bloggers, etc with good questions, they are more than happy to share their knowledge.

[sandyt]

Here's a link to an earlier thread about Dr. Patrick's paper.

Thanks Circular. That is the thread that got me wondering if there was a way to test and see if "enough" DHA was making it into the brain.

[sandyt]

That made me wonder if a blood test for omega 3 index would be representative of what is actually present in the brain and not just the cells of the rest of the body. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Hi sandyt, and welcome.

Great question, and I don't know the answer. You could try contacting Rhonda directly to see if she knows the answer. Oftentimes, when we contact authors, bloggers, etc with good questions, they are more than happy to share their knowledge.

That is actually on my list of "things to do". Thanks SusanJ.

[SusanJ]

Great, let us know what you find out!

[Julie G]

Hi sandyt. The short answer to your question is- NO. From what I can glean, Rhonda hasn’t studied this directly. Her theory is based on mouse and human observational study correlations and by the fact that low levels of phosphatidylcholine DHA, the precursor to DHA-lysoPC, appear to predict the occurrence of dementia. That said, I would be very hesitant to have low Omega-3 levels in the periphery given our presumed difficulty transporting it to the brain, especially as we age. For now, I find Dr. Bredesen’s observations about Rhonda’s work most helpful as far as translating it to clinical practice.

From an earlier post, these are his recommendations for us based upon her working hypothesis:

So it's just a suggestion, but multiple observations fit with the idea that ApoE4 enhances the response to inflammatory insults—again, great for Tsimane Indians, bad for older Americans/Europeans/etc. (a)

1) The MFI of Milan Fiala shows that those with AD do not phagocytose their Abeta.  I believe they are “keeping it active” in the circulation so it can exert its antimicrobial effect. (b)

2) Multiple genes’ transcription reduced by ApoE4 transcriptional effect lead to increased inflammation when they are reduced. (c)

3) The metabolism you mentioned—same net effect. (d)

4) The transport effect Rhonda mentioned—same net effect.  This may be related to #3 as an overall response but not necessarily by the same mechanism. (e)

So, as you mentioned, how do we counter these effects?

•Increase transportable omega-3 (fish or the formulation Rhonda mentioned).
•Increase dose of omega-3.
•Reduce all sources of inflammation, such as leaky gut.  As you’ve been doing, it’s key to reduce anything that would activate the hair trigger of ApoE4 to produce inflammation.
•Help resolve ongoing inflammation, even if modest, with a trial of resolvins. (f)
•Keep omega-6:omega-3 ratio optimal (about 2:1 in blood).  Avoid <1 (bleeding) and >4 or so.  Perhaps this should be reduced to 1:1 given that the brain may not see the same ratio?
•Target specific pathogens, as you are doing.
•Consider including other anti-inflammatories such as ginger and curcumin.
_____
a. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5349792/
b. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2955441/
c. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28879423
d. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4210928/
e. https://www.fasebj.org/doi/10.1096/fj.201801412R
f. https://www.metagenics.com/spm-active (Recommended in The End of Alzheimer’s, pg. 199)