Are you new to our site? There is a ton of information here but it can be overwhelming especially when first finding out you are an ApoE4. So heres a summary of some best practices to get you started until you figure out your own strategy.
1.Excercise most days. 30 mins. Work up a sweat. It makes your body produce a hormone called BDNF that makes brain stem cells grow and makes brain cells make new connections and makes your hippocampus (where memory is stored) stay healthy and not shrink. Of course consult your Dr. before starting an exercise program as some people could have underlying health issues.
2. Stop ALL food with sugar (sucrose, which is made up of glucose and fructose ) except a couple of whole fruit servings a day. (Berries have been shown to be beneficial). This means all processed foods with sugar, including fruit juices (which is basically just the sugar) , also refined grains break down quickly to glucose in the body. High sugar (glucose) in the blood is toxic to our brains. Like seriously toxic.
3. Don't hit your head. Stop all sports that can do this. Its very bad for our brains.
4. Eat a wide variety of plant foods across the rainbow. Your diet should be mainly plant based like a Mediterranean diet. Don't bother with basic vitamins to start until.you get your diet cleaned up (except vitamin D3 to start) because its the plant foods you need with their millions of micronutrients for your brain. You can worry about fat, carb, protein ratios later. Its small print for you now. The priority is to increase your veggies and stop all refined carbohydrates and sugar. This will automatically make the protein content of your diet smaller. Most of us are shooting for about a 15 to 20% protein in our diets. Oily fish 3 times a week is shown to be protective. That's salmon, sardines. The fish itself is probably better than the oil extracted. Nuts yes. Avocado yes. Seeds yes. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) yes. Other plant oils no no no (its the omega 6s they cause inflammation.) Red meat very seldom and very small portions and try make it grass fed. Chicken sometimes (again small portion) and try make it free range, ditto eggs.
Classic Mediterranean diet is a good start. Every meal is heavily plant based.
5. Prioritize sleep. Our brains repair in sleep. Do not take sedating antihistamines to sleep. They are very bad for our brains ( they are part of a group of meds called anticholinergics that block stuff our brains need to function). Sleeping pills are probably not safe either. Melatonin is safe and probably beneficial. Use meditation to sleep if this isn't enough. You can also get blue light blocking spectacles to make your brain make its own melatonin at night. Works brilliantly.
6. Get your BMI into the healthy range if its not.
7. Keep your mind active, do something cognitively hard like try make sense of the forum!, learn a language, learn an instrument, learn line dancing. ..anything that makes new pathways in your brain. Stay connected socially with family and friends and new friends.
edited January 12th, 2018 by Stavia, as the original link to a wiki article from 2014 no longer exists. Here is our main wiki page, and here is a current Primer for new members
Under number 4 should probably be Vitamin D3 as opposed to just Vitamin D? The High Fat Vs High Carb makes sense as it basically is saying meat versus vegan diet and deciding if in the middle is best can be determined later as it is more complicated and controversial subject. There should be commas between salmon, tuna, and sardines. The location of pacific ocean wild caught could be added.
Also, perhaps add see your Dr. before starting an exercise program as some people could have underlying health issues. I would consider adding eggs as there is a study that states most women are choline deficient. Also, add green tea and coffee.
Yes I did mean D3, but was trying to simplify stuff and prioritise the big picture for those just starting out. I typed it all out on my phone very early one morning.
Not all of us live in the US, every country has its own different sources of fish. I thought a beginner could just start with eating fish and sort out the details of its origin when they were no longer so overwhelmed.
Stavia, they were talking about putting this quick post of yours in a wiki, so I thought they were asking for comments or suggestions. I agree that pacific wild caught may not be as important as eating oily fish. The trials that I have seen or articles have used salmon, tuna and sardines, sardines the best as less chance of mercury and other contaminates in the fish, that is why Pacific Ocean wild caught as they are supposed to be the least contaminated in the world. If we are going to look at this from a third world or for people of lesser income than it may look elitist or unattainable due to income. Just like grass fed beef non growth hormone is more expensive, etc. If you live near Miami fl and fish the Everglades you are better to throw the fish back than eat them due to mercury in my opinion, but they do have some number like 8 ounces or whatever it is that can be safely eaten. I think the keep it simple is best to start but just be sure we are not too simple but just right. It is your idea so run with it as you think and we can get something put up.
oh absolutely correct WA, I agree with you. The level of detail is difficult to decide huh? And its the details I find so overwhelming.
I happen to be very lucky to be living in a country where all the meat is grass fed and affordable, but I'm not sure what the status in Europe or South America is for instance. It would be nice to get an overview of what the food chain is like around the world. I feel this forum should be globally applicable so that we can help as many people as necessary.
When we were at 23andme in the beginning there were a few people from different countries that joined in the discussions there, not many as the majority of their customers were US citizens due to foreign laws and higher costs for testing and genetics to the consumer in it's infancy. I was talking to the whole world that was able to hear at that time and wish to do so here as well and I believe this applied to the others that came here from 23andme as well.
As far as local to a country food supply that would be difficult since there are hundreds of countries and territories, etc. I can see though where eventually when someone joins in here from one of those places that perhaps we could have a list for that country if necessary. Building it one country at a time with the help of people from their country.
grania wrote:Thanks Ski! Your information was very helpful. I just received my results yesterday. UGH!
Hi grania. Welcome
Have a look in the Newcomers Forum where there is now a beginners walkthrough of some basic concepts and possible prevention strategies. Hope it helps. viewtopic.php?t=1418