Unknown

Dataset Information

0

APOE4 is associated with elevated blood lipids and lower levels of innate immune biomarkers in a tropical Amerindian subsistence population.


ABSTRACT: In post-industrial settings, apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) is associated with increased cardiovascular and neurological disease risk. However, the majority of human evolutionary history occurred in environments with higher pathogenic diversity and low cardiovascular risk. We hypothesize that in high-pathogen and energy-limited contexts, the APOE4 allele confers benefits by reducing innate inflammation when uninfected, while maintaining higher lipid levels that buffer costs of immune activation during infection. Among Tsimane forager-farmers of Bolivia (N = 1266, 50% female), APOE4 is associated with 30% lower C-reactive protein, and higher total cholesterol and oxidized LDL. Blood lipids were either not associated, or negatively associated with inflammatory biomarkers, except for associations of oxidized LDL and inflammation which were limited to obese adults. Further, APOE4 carriers maintain higher levels of total and LDL cholesterol at low body mass indices (BMIs). These results suggest that the relationship between APOE4 and lipids may be beneficial for pathogen-driven immune responses and unlikely to increase cardiovascular risk in an active subsistence population.

SUBMITTER: Garcia AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8480980 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

altmetric image

Publications

<i>APOE4</i> is associated with elevated blood lipids and lower levels of innate immune biomarkers in a tropical Amerindian subsistence population.

Garcia Angela R AR   Finch Caleb C   Gatz Margaret M   Kraft Thomas T   Eid Rodriguez Daniel D   Cummings Daniel D   Charifson Mia M   Buetow Kenneth K   Beheim Bret A BA   Allayee Hooman H   Thomas Gregory S GS   Stieglitz Jonathan J   Gurven Michael D MD   Kaplan Hillard H   Trumble Benjamin C BC  

eLife 20210929


In post-industrial settings, apolipoprotein <i>E4</i> (<i>APOE4</i>) is associated with increased cardiovascular and neurological disease risk. However, the majority of human evolutionary history occurred in environments with higher pathogenic diversity and low cardiovascular risk. We hypothesize that in high-pathogen and energy-limited contexts, the <i>APOE4</i> allele confers benefits by reducing innate inflammation when uninfected, while maintaining higher lipid levels that buffer costs of im  ...[more]

Similar Datasets

| S-EPMC10628846 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC8769806 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC11760533 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC6927646 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC4018947 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC6536544 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5727488 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC7968240 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC6175518 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5543993 | biostudies-other