title: Obesity and sex interact in the regulation of Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, for which a number of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors have been identified. A significant modifiable risk factor is obesity in mid-life. Interestingly, both obesity and AD exhibit sex differences and are regulated by sex steroid hormones. Accumulating evidence suggests interactions between obesity and sex in regulation of AD risk, although the pathways underlying this relationship are unclear. Inflammation and the E4 allele of apolipoprotein E have been identified as independent risk factors for AD and both interact with obesity and sex steroid hormones. We review the individual and cooperative effects of obesity and sex on development of AD and examine the potential contributions of apolipoprotein E, inflammation, and their interactions to this relationship.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. Electronic address: vmoser@usc.edu.
authors.forename: V Alexandra
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. Electronic address: cjpike@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Christian J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Pike
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Apolipoprotein E; Estrogen; Inflammation; Obesity; Sex differences; Testosterone; β-amyloid