Questions about Apollo recipes & cholesterol

[Jan18]

Why does the Apollo site have so many recipes containing butter, coconut oil, MCT's, saturated fats we aren't supposed to have and other foods we are not supposed to eat? I thought Apollo was specifically tailored to ApoE4's who absorb cholesterol at higher rates than the general public and therefore, we are supposed to limit saturated fats.

Maybe a better question is what does "limiting" saturated fats actually mean? What percentage of our diet is safe to be made up of saturated fats?

I constantly have total cholesterol in the mid-200's and LDL around 179, even when I am super strict with the protocol and this is a source of frustration for me. It has been suggested to me that I take Zetia, but I've not acquiesced so far since I have not needed to be on a prescription medicine for any condition so far at age 73 and I'm trying to keep it that way. Plus I am hesitant about anything that makes you monitor your liver function or has side effects.

I have 25-30 pounds to lose to be in the desired weight range for optimal health. Could it simply be the extra weight that is causing the higher cholesterol? After all, everything I read about "obesity" (though I am in the "overweight" range at this point) says that the brown belly fat is the culprit. My sister, 2 years younger and also a 3/4, was taking a statin, but after she dropped 25 pounds herself was able to go off it due to lowered cholesterol. (She didn't use our ptotocol...and she has gained the weight back by not sticking to a new way of eating....but for several months, her cholesterol numbers improved to the point where her doctor said she no longer needed the statin.) Now, however, she has stopped driving, very reminiscent of our mother who stopped driving in her late 60's/early 70's and ended up diagnosed with AD in her late 70's.

I have my lipids done by Cleveland Clinic Heart Labs and they look at a bigger picture than just total and LDL cholesterol. Their recommendation is that I don't need a statin at this point. My cardiologist concurs. Two CAC scores over the years have been 0 and my EKG and stress test and ultrasound of the heart have been fine, except for some occasional PVC's and a slight murmur, which my cardiologist said are very common and need no treatment at this point. Would Bredesen say this picture is fine for your heart, but still an AD or stroke threat?

Should I up my aerobic exercise? I am limited by a needed knee replacement, so I cannot walk fast enough to get into cardio range (only fat-burning range. as indicated by my Fit Bit Versa 3) but I believe I could do a series of senior cardio chair routines. I used to get my heart rate up with aqua aerobics, but even pushing off with my legs in water hurts my "bad" knee. I will get it replaced. Just need to find something aerobic till then. I have started doing weights which don't hurt my knee.

Just asking all of this to get feedback from this community on these questions. I do not have a practitioner here who is Bredesen-informed enough to answer many of my questions, and I've been to several in my area.

Appreciate any answers to above questions, especially why Apollo allows recipes with the "forbidden" foods, as that just confuses me! (IS butter healthy or not? I thought not. Gundry says it is. But the saturated FAT!!!!)

[Plumster]

Why does the Apollo site have so many recipes containing butter, coconut oil, MCT's, saturated fats we aren't supposed to have and other foods we are not supposed to eat? I thought Apollo was specifically tailored to ApoE4's who absorb cholesterol at higher rates than the general public and therefore, we are supposed to limit saturated fats.

Maybe a better question is what does "limiting" saturated fats actually mean? What percentage of our diet is safe to be made up of saturated fats?

I constantly have total cholesterol in the mid-200's and LDL around 179, even when I am super strict with the protocol and this is a source of frustration for me. It has been suggested to me that I take Zetia, but I've not acquiesced so far since I have not needed to be on a prescription medicine for any condition so far at age 73 and I'm trying to keep it that way. Plus I am hesitant about anything that makes you monitor your liver function or has side effects.

I have 25-30 pounds to lose to be in the desired weight range for optimal health. Could it simply be the extra weight that is causing the higher cholesterol? After all, everything I read about "obesity" (though I am in the "overweight" range at this point) says that the brown belly fat is the culprit. My sister, 2 years younger and also a 3/4, was taking a statin, but after she dropped 25 pounds herself was able to go off it due to lowered cholesterol. (She didn't use our ptotocol...and she has gained the weight back by not sticking to a new way of eating....but for several months, her cholesterol numbers improved to the point where her doctor said she no longer needed the statin.) Now, however, she has stopped driving, very reminiscent of our mother who stopped driving in her late 60's/early 70's and ended up diagnosed with AD in her late 70's.

I have my lipids done by Cleveland Clinic Heart Labs and they look at a bigger picture than just total and LDL cholesterol. Their recommendation is that I don't need a statin at this point. My cardiologist concurs. Two CAC scores over the years have been 0 and my EKG and stress test and ultrasound of the heart have been fine, except for some occasional PVC's and a slight murmur, which my cardiologist said are very common and need no treatment at this point. Would Bredesen say this picture is fine for your heart, but still an AD or stroke threat?

Should I up my aerobic exercise? I am limited by a needed knee replacement, so I cannot walk fast enough to get into cardio range (only fat-burning range. as indicated by my Fit Bit Versa 3) but I believe I could do a series of senior cardio chair routines. I used to get my heart rate up with aqua aerobics, but even pushing off with my legs in water hurts my "bad" knee. I will get it replaced. Just need to find something aerobic till then. I have started doing weights which don't hurt my knee.

Just asking all of this to get feedback from this community on these questions. I do not have a practitioner here who is Bredesen-informed enough to answer many of my questions, and I've been to several in my area.

Appreciate any answers to above questions, especially why Apollo allows recipes with the "forbidden" foods, as that just confuses me! (IS butter healthy or not? I thought not. Gundry says it is. But the saturated FAT!!!!)

I see your post is from April, but since you haven't received a reply, let me just say: Wow! Apollo is promoting high saturated fats?? I don't know what to make of that!! Did you inquire with Apollo? I am speechless.

In terms of lowering your LDL, eating at least 60 grams of fiber each day will help absorb the fat in your diet. Also, viscous fiber (which forms a gel in your gut: brown rice, oatmeal, oatbran, quinoa, chickpeas, blackeyed peas, lentils, split peas, black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, avocado, chia seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, brusselsprouts, green beans, apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, apricots, plums, figs, berries are superhigh in fiber) will absorb cholesterol.

In terms of exercise, have you tried the Kaatsu Bands that Bredesen recommends? They are not cheap...
https://kaatsu.com/

[Jan18]

Hi Plumster,
Thanks for the reply.

Let me be clear about saturated fat and Apollo's recipes. I re-read my post and don't believe I see anywhere that I said they're promoting high saturated fat levels. But I was dismayed to find that many of the recipes have saturated fat, like butter. Then Julie G reminded me that the recipes on Apollo's website are not aimed solely at APOE4 carriers who have to be very careful about saturated fat. I feel it's still disappointing to see, almost like "here some great recipes, but oops YOU can't have them."

As far as 60 g of fiber and the viscous fiber information, I appreciate it, but if I'm to get 60 g of fiber on a protocol that doesn't allow us to go over 50 g of carbs, not sure how I'm going to be able to accomplish that.

Granted, I haven't sat down with cronometer to plug in different foods to come up to 60 g of fiber to see how much of my diet that would take up.... I'm just guessing based on my usual goal of 25 - 35 g.

[TLS]

You may want to try adding flax meal to your diet. It is low in carbs and high in fiber. I use it for the beneficial phytoestrogens it provides.

[TheresaB]

You may want to try adding flax meal to your diet. It is low in carbs and high in fiber. I use it for the beneficial phytoestrogens it provides.

Be prudent with phytoestrogens. Studies show phytoestrogens may provide similar benefits to the synthetic estrogen used in hormone replacement therapy. However, this does not mean that they are safer than synthetic estrogen. They act in a similar way and may carry the same risks which may include increased risk of:

obesity
cancer
problems with reproduction

More research is needed to fully understand how phytoestrogens work, as it is not clear whether consuming them in high levels carries any health risks.

[Jan18]

Theresa, do you mean the same risks as conjugated estrogen (i.e. Premarin)? Because those risks don't apply to synthetic bioidentical hormones. Just looking for clarification.

[Julie G]

Why does the Apollo site have so many recipes containing butter, coconut oil, MCT's, saturated fats we aren't supposed to have and other foods we are not supposed to eat? I thought Apollo was specifically tailored to ApoE4's who absorb cholesterol at higher rates than the general public and therefore, we are supposed to limit saturated fats.

Hi Jan. If you're an Apollo Health subscriber, this seems like a great question to ask on their community forum, found here. I just perused the AH recipes to investigate. While coconut oil, milk and ghee are used in some recipes, they're almost always optional with alternatives for ApoE4 carriers and anyone concerned with elevated lipids.

In terms of the healthiest dietary fat, Dr. Bredesen strongly recommends high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil. Research has shown that it improves the brain's structure, function, and even cognition. Olive oil is so healthful that we have an ApoE4 discount with Amphora Nueva, distributors of quality high polyphenol oil. You can email Sharon at Sharon@amphoranueva.com to place an order. It’s helpful to leave a phone number in your email. Be sure to ask for the ApoE4 discount!