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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2015 Dec 18;67:102–118. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.08.021

Table 1.

Sex differences in the Alzheimer’s disease risk factors obesity, apolipoprotein E (apoE4), and inflammation.

AD risk factor Sex differences
Males Females
Obesity Reduced by testosterone
Causes greater visceral fat deposits
Causes stronger metabolic and neurological effects in male rodents		 Reduced by estrogens
Causes greater subcutaneous fat deposits
Food cues cause greater neural activation
Increased risk of obesity after menopause
ApoE4 Alzheimer risk increased ~4X by two apoE4 alleles
Lower testosterone in apoE4 carriers
Testosterone has beneficial cognitive effects in apoE4 humans and rodents		 Alzheimer risk increased ~4X by one apoE4 alleles and ~10X by two apoE4 alleles
Greater increase in cognitive decline
Estrogen may not be beneficial in apoE4-carrying women
Inflammation Reduced by testosterone
Inflammatory effects of obesity attenuated by testosterone		 Reduced by estrogens
Increased obesity associated with greater inflammation in women