Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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Borvo
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Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by Borvo »

I, like many others I presume, have come to this forum after receiving genetic testing results. 23andme found two variances of ApoE4 which I also presume means I am "4/4." I am male and 39 years old. My maternal grandmother died of dementia/alzheimers in her 70's with a quickly progressing disease. Her sisters experienced dementia in their late 80's and early 90's. I am unaware of any other family member with any form of dementia/alzheimers.
Part of me wishes I didn't know and at the same time I am thankful to know so that I can take any preventative measures available. I am 6'1" and weigh 185 lbs. I have fasted for 16 hours a day for at least 5 years because it was an easy way to limit calories as I sit at a desk all day. My job requires learning new complicated things. I have struggled with health anxiety in the past and realize that the stress this information could cause could also promote the onset of alzheimers.
I intend to read all the information I can about lifestyle and drug treatments present on this site but I have noticed that some information available on the web has the hallmark signs of pseudoscience. I have also noticed that the dietary advice directed at "4/4's" is slightly different than that of the general population.
I am happy this forum exists and hope I can be a contributing member of the forum.
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seachangehealthcoach
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by seachangehealthcoach »

Borvo wrote:I, like many others I presume, have come to this forum after receiving genetic testing results. 23andme found two variances of ApoE4 which I also presume means I am "4/4." I am male and 39 years old. My maternal grandmother died of dementia/alzheimers in her 70's with a quickly progressing disease. Her sisters experienced dementia in their late 80's and early 90's. I am unaware of any other family member with any form of dementia/alzheimers.
Part of me wishes I didn't know and at the same time I am thankful to know so that I can take any preventative measures available. I am 6'1" and weigh 185 lbs. I have fasted for 16 hours a day for at least 5 years because it was an easy way to limit calories as I sit at a desk all day. My job requires learning new complicated things. I have struggled with health anxiety in the past and realize that the stress this information could cause could also promote the onset of alzheimers.
I intend to read all the information I can about lifestyle and drug treatments present on this site but I have noticed that some information available on the web has the hallmark signs of pseudoscience. I have also noticed that the dietary advice directed at "4/4's" is slightly different than that of the general population.
I am happy this forum exists and hope I can be a contributing member of the forum.
Hi Borvo,
Welcome to the ApoE4 community. We are glad you found us and hope that the information on this forum as well as the information shared by other contributors can help your health anxiety. You are so wise to seek out information regarding your status. I also admire your ability to know that too much information may add to your anxiety. As you probably know, current and ongoing research has afforded us with some pretty good strategies and lifestyle shifts aimed at prevention - something I hope you find promising. As begin to peruse the forum I hope the following links are helpful:

How-To Guide

Primer

Our Stories

Wiki

Please stay in touch!
Jennifer Balzano
Founder, SeaChange Health Coaching
M.A., B.S., Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
Borvo
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by Borvo »

I have enjoyed the community and reading through the forums. I have quickly modified my diet to reflect the recommendations I have located here and from other credible sources. I did not realize just how unhealthy my diet was until I began to make some of these changes. As a result of such changes, I have lost approximately 13lbs rather quickly. I am somewhat concerned that I simply cannot eat enough calories to meet the demands of my lifestyle and avoid foods I should not be consuming. Are there any "go-to" foods that offer a lot of calories that are acceptable to APOE4's? It seems like a standard component of healthy food is a lack of caloric density.
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Tincup
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by Tincup »

Borvo wrote: I have quickly modified my diet to reflect the recommendations I have located here and from other credible sources. I did not realize just how unhealthy my diet was until I began to make some of these changes. As a result of such changes, I have lost approximately 13lbs rather quickly. I am somewhat concerned that I simply cannot eat enough calories to meet the demands of my lifestyle and avoid foods I should not be consuming. Are there any "go-to" foods that offer a lot of calories that are acceptable to APOE4's? It seems like a standard component of healthy food is a lack of caloric density.
I would say there is no "standard" agreed upon ApoE4 optimal diet. The parameters that most would agree on is to eat diet of primarily whole, unprocessed foods. Another would be to eat such that you honor your individual "carbohydrate tolerance," such that your metabolic parameters are optimized. Lastly, eat to maximize nutrient density, to optimize satisfying your micronutrient requirements. A site with tools for this is here. With a different issue, MS, this was Dr. Terry Wahls' path to putting a very aggressive form of this illness in remission. Lastly, because ApoE4 doesn't efflux cholesterol as well as 2's or 3's, we tend to have high LDL's (see Julie's most recent podcast with Dayan Goodenowe). Whether this is considered a "problem" is another point of controversy. If you believe it is, then reducing saturated fat intake is a way to accomplish this objective. Eating more food is always an option.
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floramaria
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by floramaria »

Borvo wrote:Are there any "go-to" foods that offer a lot of calories that are acceptable to APOE4's? It seems like a standard component of healthy food is a lack of caloric density.
Some of the foods that I use personally to keep my caloric intake up where it needs to be to keep weight stable are a lot of EVOO, olives, nuts, nut butters, and avocados. This past year I’ve been getting high polyphenol olive oil from Amphora Nueva, so in addition to concentrated calories it also offers some nutrient benefits. If you are interested, you can find a link for a discount by typing amphora nueva into the search function, using the magnifying glass to the left of your user name.
Another suggestion if you are not maintaining weight is to cycle out of the ketogenic diet for one or two days a week, eating more resistant starches and generally liberalizing the dietary guidelines while continuing to eat wholesome food. In my own opinion, this strategy may also help keep the microbiome healthy.
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
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rique
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by rique »

Do you know if your grandmother and/or her sisters had high cholesterol, and if so, were they on a statin?
Electrikat
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by Electrikat »

I feel the same. I work in a molecular laboratory and we test out selves for controls and got my results today that told me I am one of the few 4/4s. I was adopted and know nothing about my biological family. I always said Alzheimer’s would be the worst way to go; and then I get this result. I have never had abnormal lipid profiles or high blood pressure or anything else that would tip me off about a cardiovascular/fat metabolism issue. I have always been very thin and muscular and have not had issues with my weight. I work out and am active and try to eat relatively healthy. I don’t eat hardly any meat unless it’s fish or seafood. I’m still processing the results and I think I will have to go through the levels of grief or whatever. It’s hard to get over that this takes 10-30 years off your onset time. That means I could start feeling symptoms as early as my late 40s or even in the next few years? I’m only 37 and I feel like I need to make final arrangements and figure out how to do everything I ever wanted to do in the next few years before it’s too late. How do you cope with this information?
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

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Electrikat wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:06 pm I’m only 37 and I feel like I need to make final arrangements and figure out how to do everything I ever wanted to do in the next few years before it’s too late. How do you cope with this information?
My 4/4 wife is 62 and I'm 66 (3/4) and we are both cognitively (and physically) well. We are both optimistic our approaches will allow us to "square the curve" and have healthspan and lifespan coincide.

We learned of our status in 2014. My first response was "Oh Sh_t!" Shortly thereafter I went into the mode of understanding what was possible to mitigate the risks. I found a doctor who'd been clinically following ApoE4's for 14 years (at that point) and has a successful track record of keeping them well late into life. I also found this site and have been active. I got afib in 2004 and during an initial 2 1/2 month episode, my electrophysiologist suggested I should just stay out of rhythm. I responded I had a "Plan B" and convinced him to sign off on it. With tweaks, I've been following this plan for 17 years and keeping afib burden (time in afib) under 0.02%. As afib is generally considered a progressive disease, it was this experience that gave me confidence that I could do the same thing with my ApoE4 risk.
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CindyM
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Re: Excited this community exists, but slightly overwhelmed with 4/4 result.

Post by CindyM »

Electrikat wrote: Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:06 pm I feel the same. I work in a molecular laboratory and we test out selves for controls and got my results today that told me I am one of the few 4/4s. I was adopted and know nothing about my biological family. I always said Alzheimer’s would be the worst way to go; and then I get this result. I have never had abnormal lipid profiles or high blood pressure or anything else that would tip me off about a cardiovascular/fat metabolism issue. I have always been very thin and muscular and have not had issues with my weight. I work out and am active and try to eat relatively healthy. I don’t eat hardly any meat unless it’s fish or seafood. I’m still processing the results and I think I will have to go through the levels of grief or whatever. It’s hard to get over that this takes 10-30 years off your onset time. That means I could start feeling symptoms as early as my late 40s or even in the next few years? I’m only 37 and I feel like I need to make final arrangements and figure out how to do everything I ever wanted to do in the next few years before it’s too late. How do you cope with this information?
Welcome to the site, Electrikat, and thank you for your bravery in reaching out here as you process your 4/4 status.

You are not alone in your health journey, and finding support with like-minded people is so helpful for anyone dealing with scary news. Most people feel overwhelmed and frightened when they discover that they carry the APoE4 gene. The initial shock and fear will not last forever, and feelings of anxiety will lessen with time.

First and foremost: GENETICS IS NOT DESTINY. Not everybody with ApoE4 gets Alzheimer’s Disease. In fact, the biggest association with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's is advanced age, not ApoE 4.
The good news is you are young and healthy and have already been practicing healthy lifestyle behaviors, so you're already on the right track in prevention! One of the main purposes of this forum is to help each other make the best choices in lifestyle and diet so that our ApoE4 variant affects us less.

I'm happy that you have already been exploring the website.

Continue to explore by checking out our primer .This is a fantastic resource which explores areas such as the science behind the ApoE4 gene and the lifestyle factors that impact its expression. Our how-to guide is another helpful resource on how to search for topics and how to subscribe to topics of interest and more. Continue to check out threads in our stories. Look for threads that have been started by other members in their 30s. They are easy to find since many state their age in the thread's subject.

I hope these resources prove helpful as you begin this journey! Don’t hesitate to reach out with more questions.

All the best,

Cindy M
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
Apoe4 welcome team intern
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