Does Incorporation of EPA and DHA in Lipoproteins Differ According to Apolipoprotein E Genotype?

February 27, 2014 updated by: Mélanie Plourde, Université de Sherbrooke
Genetics and nutrition both clearly affect the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the elderly. Apolipoprotein E (APOE4) is the most important known genetic risk for AD and is prevalent in 20-25% of Canadians, but at present, knowing an individual's ApoE genotype does not help the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of AD. Furthermore, fish intake containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 omega-3) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 omega-3) may be incorporated as a prevention strategy for lowering the risk of AD. However, fish intake seems not to protect APOE4 carriers from developing AD. One explanation as to why APOE4 carriers may not benefit from fish intake is potentially linked with imbalances in omega-3 fatty acid metabolism. The investigators recently reported that after 3g/d of EPA+DHA for 6 weeks, increases in the two fatty acids was less for carriers resulting in a significant gene-by-diet interaction. ApoE is a component of lipoproteins and ApoE genotypes modulate the fasting lipoprotein response to fish-oil supplementation. Therefore, the investigators hypothesis is that APOE4 genotype is associated with imbalances in lipoprotein concentrations which has the consequence to be associated with imbalances in EPA and DHA transport. The investigators will recruit and test 100 healthy young adults since at older ages carriers of ApoE4 usually take medication altering their lipoprotein profile. They will receive an EPA + DHA supplement for one month. This period was chosen because the 3 class of lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL and HDL) have different concentrations in TG, phospholipids and cholesteryl esters and to fully investigate lipoprotein fatty acid changes, one month of supplementation is needed to change EPA and DHA in all lipid classes. The investigators will monitor the distribution of EPA and DHA in the lipoproteins over a one month supplementation with fish oil and the investigators will separate the investigators groups by APOE4 carriers and non-carriers.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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Completed

Conditions

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Intervention / Treatment

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Study Type

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Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

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80

Phase

Phase

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  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, J1H4C4
        • Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement

Participation Criteria

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Eligibility Criteria

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Ages Eligible for Study

20 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Fifty healthy men and fifty healthy women aged between 20-35 y old will be recruited.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Tobacco
  • Medication (except for oral contraceptives)
  • EPA+DHA supplements
  • Cancer
  • Recent major surgery (< 2 years)
  • Ongoing or past severe drug or alcohol abuse
  • History of psychiatric difficulties or depression
  • Allergy to seafood
  • Elite level of physical training
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Study Plan

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How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

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Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: APOE4 carriers
The results obtained for APOE4 carriers will be compared to the one obtained from APOE4 non-carriers. Carriers are defined as being at least carrier of one APOE4 allele.
Dietary supplement: omega-3 fatty acids
Participants will take 700 mg/d of EPA and 500 mg/d of DHA as ethyl esters for one month (Ocean Nutrition, Dartmouth, NS) which is about 10 times the current estimated intake of young adults (21). This corresponds to one capsule with breakfast and one capsule with diner.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Distribution of EPA and DHA in lipoproteins by APOE genotype
Time Frame: Once each week for 28 days
We will measure % and concentration of EPA and DHA in VLDL, HDL and LDL to evaluate how these fatty acids are transported in the blood and whether APOE genotype changes the distribution of these fatty acids.
Once each week for 28 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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Sponsor

Sponsor

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Université de Sherbrooke

Publications and helpful links

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General Publications

Study record dates

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Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

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February 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

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May 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

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February 24, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 5, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 6, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 3, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 27, 2014

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Centrum

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