[Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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atlantisw
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[Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Post by atlantisw »

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a peaceful thanksgiving & Christmas!

I noticed, in our forum, there are many E3/E4 or E4/E4 living happily in his or her 60s, 70s, or even 80s. I am wondering if it is possible to know more about your lifestyle. For example, do you work out? Do you eat lots of veggie? These information, I believe, are so helpful for people like me, who is in 20s with E4.

I have some background in statistics, I think it might be possible to discover some pattern if I could have more information. Does anyone want to share? Or, does anyone want to start this "project" to collect information from E4 survivors and do some data analysis?

Thanks you all!
NF52
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Re: [Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Post by NF52 »

atlantisw wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 10:05 pm Hello!

I hope everyone is having a peaceful thanksgiving & Christmas!

I noticed, in our forum, there are many E3/E4 or E4/E4 living happily in his or her 60s, 70s, or even 80s. I am wondering if it is possible to know more about your lifestyle. For example, do you work out? Do you eat lots of veggie? These information, I believe, are so helpful for people like me, who is in 20s with E4.

I have some background in statistics, I think it might be possible to discover some pattern if I could have more information. Does anyone want to share? Or, does anyone want to start this "project" to collect information from E4 survivors and do some data analysis?

Thanks you all!
Hi atlantisw!

I'm one of those "survivors" who is 70 with ApoE 4/4 and experiencing no cognitive decline. Your desire to collect info and use it statistically is commendable, yet you probably remember that "the devil is in the details" with statistics: how many people you sample, how diverse they are in experiences, how similar they are beyond sharing an ApoE 4 allele. Anyone my age had a very difference experience in our youth than you at 22 have had--and I wish mine had included becoming fluent in two or three languages like you, since that has been shown to provide a high level of cognitive resilience in old age!

You may want to use Google Scholar to check out sources for "ApoE 4 resilience to AD". Below is a link and an excerpt from one result from Google Scholar, an abstract from a 2022 presentation at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference:

Identifying lifestyle factors that promote brain resilience in ApoE4 carriers
604/2770 of the e4 carriers were labeled as resilient (Figure 1). The antecedent set with the highest likelihood (42%) of being associated with resiliency included following the ideal recommendations for physical activity, infrequent alcohol consumption, averaging at least 7 hours of sleep/night, participating in leisure/social activities, and never having smoked. These measures also appeared in other likely antecedent sets
4/4 and still an optimist!
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TheresaB
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Re: [Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Post by TheresaB »

I am a 4/4 in my mid-60s. I learned my status about 8 years ago, and that’s when I started changing certain lifestyle choices and diet. I guess you could say I’m a survivor, statistically I should be experiencing some mild cognitive impairment and I feel cognitively intact. This in comparison to my four older siblings, two of which are now deceased (not from dementia but from other frailties the 4 gene bestows) and my two living siblings have dementia.
I engage in many lifestyle strategies. Largely following the Bredesen Protocol. You can read more in our wiki Bredesen Protocol

I do eat a lot of, and variety of, vegetables, but I also eliminated a number of vegetables, not all are beneficial and some are inflammatory (mostly those containing lectins). ApoE4s are pro-inflammatory, and that was my main issue when I had a number of blood tests taken when I first started on this health journey. If it hadn’t been for the tests I would have been oblivious to my high inflammation as I felt fine. Nevertheless, I was on a path to some autoimmune issue, not to mention the association of inflammation with Alzheimer’s. I'm so glad I learned of my inflammation as just last week my brother had a scare and had to be sent to the ER. He was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that caused internal bleeding, an issue that was probably simmering in the background for quite a while. The Cleveland Clinic says there are 100+ autoimmune diseases and they are very common.

You can read more on beneficial and detrimental plant chemicals in our wiki Beneficial (and some negative) Plant/Natural Chemicals

Other choices I have made:

*I eliminated inflammatory vegetable oils from my diet, and consume quality Extra Virgin Olive oil in my salad daily. EVOO is low in saturated fat (not good for 4s) and high in monounsaturated fat (good fat). It's also high in beneficial polyphenols, helps alleviate inflammation and oxidative stress, holds oleic acid, an essential regulator of processes that enable memory, learning, and mood regulation. It also promotes neurogenesis and increases cell proliferation.
Daily olive oil is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality (ApoE4s are also at higher risk of cardiovascular disease) and with lower risk of mortality (ApoE4s are also longevity challenged). Extra virgin olive oil also lowers blood pressure and reduces your risk of diabetes. Olive oil also helps avoid osteoporosis (healthy bones are needed for a healthy brain) because it enables the calcium in your food to be better absorbed into your bones. Olive oil helps regulate the immune system, and balance your hormones. Also a study from 2013 found that the oleocanthal in olive oil enhances Amyloid beta (Aβ) clearance from the brain
For more info on fats:
Fats, Omega-3 &-6, DHA and more

* I adapted my body to readily produce ketones. Among the many benefits of ketones being able to generate ketones means you are insulin sensitive (a very good thing for 4s), ketosis helps lower body inflammation, it increases butyrate production in the gut (very beneficial) when consuming hard to digest or indigestible carbohydrates, and perhaps most important for 4s, provides an alternate source of fuel for the brain since we are predisposed to impaired cerebral glucose uptake and this can start decades before symptoms occur.
You can read about this and the importance to ApoE4s in our wiki: Ketosis and Ketogenic diet


*I intermittent fast to encourage autophagy (body’s housecleaning) and ketone production. Autophagy can selectively kill senescent cells (zombie cells). Senolysis is when the cells stop dividing, resulting in poorly functioning cells and accelerated aging.

*I keep my glucose/insulin levels down, VERY important for 4s, there's a very strong link between insulin resistance and dementia.
You can read more:
Insulin Resistance
Insulin Resistance in the brain

Blood Sugar

*I worked at healing a slightly leaky gut and eat to encourage a healthy gut microbiome.
More info: Gut-Brain Connection: Leaky Gut/Leaky Brain, Microbiome (gut bugs)

*I mind my mitochondria, very important, as that's what produces energy in our cells and the brain needs a lot of energy. The brain only makes up 3% of a body's weight, but uses about 20% of the body's energy and it needs it 24/7. Much of Alzheimer's seems to be an issue of insufficient bioenergetics.
Again, more info: Mitochondria

*I keep my saturated fat intake moderated and try to keep LDL levels reasonable, as LDL ages they become small, dense, and oxidized (inflammatory). I do have semi-high LDL levels, but my doc and I are not concerned given my other biomarkers. ApoE4s tend to have higher levels of LDL because we are cholesterol conservers so we need to be particularly mindful. The liver makes most of the cholesterol that's measured. The cells will take the cholesterol that they need from the blood supply, but since we're more efficient at holding on to it, our cells don't take as much as our ApoE2 and 3 brethren so we have more in our blood supply. Of note, none of the cholesterol from your liver and blood supply gets to the brain. The brain makes all its own cholesterol and all its own transportation of cholesterol.
More info:
Cholesterol, Lipids and Treatments, including statins
Part 2 Podcast with Dr Goodenowe https://www.apoe4.info/ep003-dayan-goodenowe/

*I’m very particular about my sleep hygiene (another very important issue for 4s) and honor my circadian rhythm. More info:
Sleep
Circadian Rhythm

*I try to keep moving and exercise (I'm semi-limited after 3, none totally successful, surgeries on my right foot), but I emphasize resistance training.
Exercise - Types, Lengths, and Benefits

*I try to keep stress to a minimum (except for hormetic stress which makes us more resilient)
Stress

*I follow practices to stimulate my vagus nerve
Vagus Nerve

*I added certain supplements. Omega-3s are very important for us. So is Vitamin D (should be taken with K2 ensure that calcium is absorbed easily and reaches the bone mass, while preventing arterial calcification). I do others tailored to my needs.

*I protect my head, wear helmet when skiing, cycling, rock climbing, etc. A 2020 study published in Neurology found that the risk for dementia was roughly 2-3 times higher in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) compared to those without TBI. Another study of English soccer players from the 1965-66 season that culminated with England winning the World Cup found neurodegenerative diseases were a factor in 42 per cent of the deaths among that group so far. The apparent link is brain injury from “heading” i.e. using one’s head to advance the soccer ball.

*I learn something new every day

*I try to avoid toxins (eat organic), mold, chemicals (aluminum, endocrine disruptors) leaching into food from cookware and storage containers.

*I avoid processed foods

*I sauna regularly, my husband made a makeshift sauna with heat lamps, which includes red light therapy benefit, in an unused shower stall. There was a study Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men out of Finland a few years ago showing that as people increased their sauna use per week from one or two to six, they decreased their risk for developing dementia.

*I drink purified water (fluoride is a neurotoxin) and try to stay hydrated

*I brush with non-flouride toothpaste

*I don’t use mouthwashes that destroy the oral microbiome. It kills off bacteria that dilate blood vessels [ Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control

*I try to keep positive thoughts and practice gratitude. Our thoughts and beliefs have the ability to alter the way our physical bodies function.

*I walk in nature whenever I can (forest bathing) and try to get some sunshine every day

There's more :shock: but that's the bulk of it.
-Theresa
ApoE 4/4
rrmolo
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Re: [Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Post by rrmolo »

Theresa,
That was a great reply! Thank you!
I'm 82, 4/4, and am doing well. I belong to two book groups which I enjoy and like to read.
I meditate daily and do yoga daily.
I cook for my husband and me, simply with lots of veggies, olive oil, and limited CHO's.
I just finished writing my 85 page autobiography.
I love to exercise and belong to a hiking group.
I have a history of skiing, raquetball, pickleball but have given those up.
I play bridge on my ipad an hour a day with others on line.
I have a strong faith and practice it daily...i love praying while I'm walking.
I have a great family and I enjoy regular family times...but of course they are very busy.
I am very grateful for this group on line and all the info I am blessed with.
I thank you for your very interesting question.
Much luck to you!
atlantisw
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Re: [Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Post by atlantisw »

I wish you healthy in the coming years!

Best,
atlantisw
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floramaria
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Re: [Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Post by floramaria »

atlantisw wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 10:35 pm I wish you healthy in the coming years!

Best,
atlantisw
My health program~ eating organic foods, lots of vegetables. I haven’t eliminated dairy, but usually it is goat or sheep.
Eating more pastured animal protein. Lots of high quality EVOO. Very little consumption of grains , fruits, processed foods. COFFEE!! IF minimum 12 hrs, usually 14. Good sleep. Very active. (25000 steps yesterday, but that was an outlier, even for me!). Daily qigong/Tai chi . Meditation, though not as regular as I think would be good for me. Gratitude practice. I take a bucketful of supplements every day, but actually feel that is the least helpful of anything I do…probably more superstition than science.
Have done two rounds of heavy metal detox after testing high for both cadmium and lead. ( I tested metals because I knew that as an artist I was exposed to decades of metal based pigments. )
I challenge my brain in various ways, including reading the latest research on Alzheimer’s when articles are posted in the Forums here.
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
IFM/ Bredesen Training in Reversing Cognitive Decline (March 2017)
ReCODE 2.0 Health Coach with Apollo Health
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TCHC
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Re: [Lifestyle & Diet of survivors]

Post by TCHC »

Hi Everyone
It's great to hear from so many of you about the lifestyle changes you're making (and I hope, enjoying!)

And Hi particularly to Atlantisw - if you're concerned about the amount of lifestyle change that you're reading about here, my advice would be to make a list, work on 1 thing at a time, pick the things that'll be easiest first, then achieving those may give you the motivation to tackle the tougher things. Remember, you have time, you are in your 20s and so 1 step at a time will stand you in excellent stead for the future! Good luck! you're in the right place, this is a great place to get encouragement, support and great tips.
Lindsey
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Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach (FMCHC)
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