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A Scoping Review of Dietary Factors Conferring Risk or Protection for Cognitive Decline in APOE ε4 Carriers

  • Review
  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease. The strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic AD is carriage of the ε4 allele of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. Strategies to slow the progression of AD, including dietary interventions, may be modified by the pathogenic effect of this polymorphism. Our objective in this review was to determine the extent and quality of the literature investigating how dietary factors and interventions interact with the APOE ε4 genotype to impact cognitive decline in AD. To that end, we performed a systematic scoping review of published English-language articles involving human subjects. We found evidence suggesting that adherence to a Mediterranean diet may reduce cognitive decline among APOE ε4 carriers, whereas ketogenic agents appear to be ineffective. Diets high in saturated fats may be particularly harmful for APOE ε4 carriers. We identified several topics, including the use of ω-3 fatty acid and antioxidant supplements, for which additional high level evidence is needed.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded by NIH as follows: 1F30AG060704-01A1 (to G.M.F.), T32GM008620 (to G.M.F.), T32AG000096 (to G.M.F.). Funding to G.M.F. from the Lorna Carlin Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UC Irvine Department of Biological Chemistry, Irvine, USA

    Gianna M. Fote, A. M. Reyes-Ortiz & L. M. Thompson

  2. UC Irvine Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Irvine, USA

    N. R. Geller, L. M. Thompson, J. S. Steffan & Joshua D. Grill

  3. Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 3024 Biological Sciences III, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA

    L. M. Thompson, J. S. Steffan & Joshua D. Grill

  4. UC Irvine Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Irvine, USA

    L. M. Thompson & Joshua D. Grill

  5. UC Irvine Department of Biological Chemistry, 385 S. Manchester Ave, Unit 2096, Orange, CA, 92868, USA

    Gianna M. Fote

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  1. Gianna M. Fote
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  2. N. R. Geller
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  5. J. S. Steffan
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  6. Joshua D. Grill
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Contributions

Author contributions: G.M.F. and J.S.S. designed the study. G.M.F. and N.R.G. conducted systematic searches. G.M.F., N.R.G., A.M.R.O., L.M.T., J.D.G., and J.S.S. wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Gianna M. Fote or Joshua D. Grill.

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Statement of competing interests: The authors have no financial or non-financial competing interests to report.

Ethical standards: This study adhered to the PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Fote, G.M., Geller, N.R., Reyes-Ortiz, A.M. et al. A Scoping Review of Dietary Factors Conferring Risk or Protection for Cognitive Decline in APOE ε4 Carriers. J Nutr Health Aging 25, 1167–1178 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-021-1705-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-021-1705-4

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