Diet changes to help people with APOE4 age better and resist Alzheimer’s
Dietary protection against APOE4 phenotypes in aging and Alzheimer's
This work will see if a fasting-mimicking diet and related eating plans can help people who carry the APOE4 gene avoid age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11301032 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are using mice engineered to carry human APOE genes to model how APOE4 alters aging and Alzheimer's-related biology. They will give cycles of a fasting-mimicking diet and similar nutritional interventions and compare effects on brain energy use, inflammation, and microglial immune cells. Experiments include animals with and without Alzheimer’s-related transgenes to mimic different stages of disease risk. Findings aim to reveal diet-driven mechanisms that could guide future human prevention trials for APOE4 carriers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for future human trials would be people who carry the APOE4 gene or have a strong family history of Alzheimer’s and are interested in dietary prevention strategies.
Not a fit: People without APOE4, those whose memory problems are due to non‑Alzheimer’s causes, or individuals with advanced Alzheimer’s disease may not benefit from these findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to simple, non-drug dietary approaches that reduce Alzheimer’s risk or slow memory decline in people with APOE4.
How similar studies have performed: Related fasting-mimicking and calorie-restriction diets have shown benefits for metabolism and brain health in animal studies and some small human trials, but protection specifically for APOE4-linked Alzheimer’s risk remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, UNITED STATES
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pike, Christian J — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Pike, Christian J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.