Why some mice brains get more fat when they eat junk food
Pleiotropic Effect of Human ApoE4 on Cerebral Ceramide and Saturated Fatty Acid Levels
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Mice with a human gene variant called ApoE4 had less of a brain fat called ceramide than normal mice. When they ate a high-fat diet, their brains got more saturated fat than other mice. Their bodies also made fewer tools to move fats around.
Surprising Findings
The high-fat diet shut down fat-making genes in normal and ApoE4 mice—but not in mice with no ApoE gene at all.
You’d expect the gene that’s missing (ApoE) to be the one that doesn’t respond—but it’s the opposite. The presence of ApoE (even the bad version) seems necessary for the diet to suppress these genes.
Practical Takeaways
If you carry the ApoE4 gene, reducing saturated fat intake may help limit fat buildup in your brain.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Mice with a human gene variant called ApoE4 had less of a brain fat called ceramide than normal mice. When they ate a high-fat diet, their brains got more saturated fat than other mice. Their bodies also made fewer tools to move fats around.
Surprising Findings
The high-fat diet shut down fat-making genes in normal and ApoE4 mice—but not in mice with no ApoE gene at all.
You’d expect the gene that’s missing (ApoE) to be the one that doesn’t respond—but it’s the opposite. The presence of ApoE (even the bad version) seems necessary for the diet to suppress these genes.
Practical Takeaways
If you carry the ApoE4 gene, reducing saturated fat intake may help limit fat buildup in your brain.
Publication
Journal
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
Year
2016
Authors
S. Den Hoedt, Carola I. F. Janssen, G. Astarita, D. Piomelli, F. Leijten, Simone M Crivelli, A. Verhoeven, H. D. de Vries, J. Walter, P. Martinez-Martinez, E. Sijbrands, A. Kiliaan, M. Mulder
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Claims (5)
Human evolutionary adaptation is optimized for the consumption of animal-derived saturated and monounsaturated fats as primary dietary lipids.
When mice eat a fatty diet, the genes that make brain fats shut down in normal mice and ApoE4 mice—but not in mice that have no ApoE gene at all.
When mice with the ApoE4 gene eat a fatty, cholesterol-rich diet, their brains accumulate more saturated fats than when they eat normal food.
Mice with the ApoE4 gene make less of the proteins that help create and move certain brain fats, even when eating a normal diet.
A fatty diet turns down the genes that move fats around in normal mice, but not in mice that don’t have the ApoE gene.