21 just found out am 4/4

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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Markz2137
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21 just found out am 4/4

Post by Markz2137 »

Hello,
I recently found out through 23 and me to my surprise that I’m a 4/4 despite no family history of Alzheimer’s and my grand parents healthy and sharp in their late 80s/ 90s perhaps I’ve just pulled the short straw in the genes department.

I’m big into bodybuilding and am wondering if anyone knows if I can continue a high protein diet and weight training without spiking my insulin resistance (heard this is bad).

Also am considering getting blood test done, would this be a reasonable thing to do at my age?

My family and girlfriend tell me I shouldn’t worry about it as I have a long time before it will be a worry and instead enjoy life but now I know these are my genes I can’t just move on from it especially if there’s ways to decrease my risk of developing anything serious.

Any advice would be helpful and hopefully can calm myself about this.

Thanks for reading
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Tincup
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Re: 21 just found out am 4/4

Post by Tincup »

Hi Mark,

Welcome! Many of us didn't find out our ApoE status until much later in life. I'm 66 and found out in 2014, 8 years ago. What I've told my children, who are in their 30's, is not worry about being "perfect," but don't push it on the stupid side, either. If you get to my age and you haven't trashed your body, it will be much easier for you. So go for the middle ground.

On insulin resistance. It isn't good for anyone and is rampant today. In this post, I reference my friend, Marty Kendall's data driven fasting program (DDF). Not that you need to do this, but studying the references, getting a glucometer and figuring out what your blood sugar level is before you eat will be useful info. Basically, if you aren't back to a good baseline level, then wait to eat. If you dispose of your glucose well and quickly, then go ahead. If your blood sugar stays elevated, then you have plenty of fuel on board and adding more is not useful to your metabolic health. Especially follow the links on Hunger Training and Oxidative priority.
Tincup
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JD2020
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Re: 21 just found out am 4/4

Post by JD2020 »

Markz2137 wrote: Wed Jan 12, 2022 12:22 pm
Any advice would be helpful and hopefully can calm myself about this.
Hi!

You are so young, don't worry! For now, work on developing good life habits:

exercise - weights, cardio, HIIT, stretching. It's all good. Variety is great. Have fun.

eat well - real food, no processed garbage, as high quality as you can afford. Sugar and grains are not our friends, so maybe start rolling that back if you eat the normal diet for a 21 year old in America. Olive oil, lots of veggies, and quality proteins are our friends. No need to obsess. You have time to figure out what you like and what feels good.

learn - start paying attention to the research, as it comes out. Be curious. I learned about ReCODE because I was watching out for this topic because of a family member who has the disease. Traditional medicine hates Mercola, but it was his morning newsletter that alerted me. As research comes out, consider what makes sense to you. Watch for when you sense that you should incorporate some change into your life.

sleep - I've been doing the protocol for a couple of years now on a preventative basis, and at the first appointment, my doc said that I have to get a good night's sleep. I said, great, but my body doesn't do that. Now I sleep well. It's unbelievable after a lifetime of insomnia. I think the Oura ring is a great sleep tracker. I didn't think FitBit was very comfortable. Anyway, if you get a good sleep tracker, you will start seeing how different things you do during the day impact your sleep. Also, "Why We Sleep" is a really good, interesting book that will make you really understand why this is so important. It also made me realize that the idea that my body could not sleep well was insane. We are designed to sleep.

Of course, you could start implementing specific parts of the program, if you want, just for the sake of incorporating them into your life now. Meditation is part of the protocol, because of course constantly bathing yourself in cortisol is not helpful. My doc recommended HeartMath. It feels like work to me, but maybe you would like it. I've been enjoying guided meditations with Oura. Also, you could start playing BrainHQ. I find this painful because it is so boring, but I still intend to do it everyday - and I have lots of room for improvement as far as fulfilling that intention.

So be calm. There is a lot you can do now to move yourself in the direction of excellent health, and you have a lot of time to slowly implement good habits into your life. The body of knowledge regarding this disease will grow, as will the options available to address specific issues. You have time.
SBee
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Re: 21 just found out am 4/4

Post by SBee »

Markz2137 wrote: Wed Jan 12, 2022 12:22 pm Hello,
I recently found out through 23 and me to my surprise that I’m a 4/4 despite no family history of Alzheimer’s and my grand parents healthy and sharp in their late 80s/ 90s perhaps I’ve just pulled the short straw in the genes department.

I’m big into bodybuilding and am wondering if anyone knows if I can continue a high protein diet and weight training without spiking my insulin resistance (heard this is bad).

Also am considering getting blood test done, would this be a reasonable thing to do at my age?

My family and girlfriend tell me I shouldn’t worry about it as I have a long time before it will be a worry and instead enjoy life but now I know these are my genes I can’t just move on from it especially if there’s ways to decrease my risk of developing anything serious.

Any advice would be helpful and hopefully can calm myself about this.

Thanks for reading

Hello Markz2137 and welcome!
Thanks for sharing your story...it sounds like you've already received some great advice from tincup and JD2020! And your own thoughts about discovering ways to decrease your risk at an early age seem very wise!

Allow me to share some helpful tools/strategies that you can use as you begin to navigate the site:

If you would like to learn more about ApoE4 itself, you can explore the Primer, which is a detailed and informative resource written by a practicing M.D. with ApoE4/4. It includes information about the biochemistry of the ApoE4 gene and offers a variety of research-based prevention strategies.

The How-To Guide offers tips on how to navigate forums and respond to posts including how to quote members (use the quotation icon in the upper right of any post) so they get an email notification of your post. It also demonstrates how to use the Search function for topics, and how to subscribe to topics of interest in the forums.

Finally, if you are interested in sharing more details about your story or just want to learn about other community members' experiences, you can link to Our Stories.

Please reach out if you need support or have additional questions. Wishing you all the best on your journey!

Warmly,
Sue
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rho
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Re: 21 just found out am 4/4

Post by rho »

Mark,

You are young and engaged so you already have a leg up. Consumption of any kind of food raises insulin level (sugar<carbohydrate<protein<fat). Consistent exercise will increase insulin sensitivity, and thereby decrease long term insulin levels, negating the transitory spikes. When you say you're into bodybuilding I imagine you mean just that, as opposed to say, you are into strength training? The former is primarily aesthetic, the latter is possibly functional. Doing anything physical is a benefit, so I'm not trying to spoil your love of bodybuilding. But you may find that the demands of bodybuilding are not entirely conducive to total health since there is simply one goal that supersedes all others...adding muscle. The requirement of large amounts of protein and a lack of dietary moderation necessary to sustain a high muscle mass (muscles are like pets; if you don't feed them they go away) is to some extent inherently at odds with the sustained balance of long term health. There is an economy to carrying a lot of extra weight in whatever form: High fat percentage physiques require perhaps less food costs, but suffer greater health implications...while very high muscle mass (not necessarily applicable on a comparable percentage basis) tend to incur greater food costs, but with lower, albeit still substantial health implications. Unfortunately a disproportionate number of body builders do not possess enviable longevity.

You can try on some simple strategies that will be an asset as you gain in years.

1 Drink mostly water...avoid too many sugary drinks (coconut water is a great sports drink substitute)
2 Eat in moderation (although sometimes bodybuilding calls for massive calories to add muscle/fat (comes along for the ride) and then restriction to shake the fat off; repeat).
3 There are many supplements you can take but if you were only to take one I would choose a high quality liquid fish oil...liquid in bottle, not pills (omega 3's are highly subject to oxidation, and the high surface area to volume ratio of pills kind of guarantee that the production methods yield an oxidized product of little worth.)
4 Work in some cardio (if you can stand it...mitochondrial support for body and mind for years to come)
5 Cross train or do a sport(s) to have a functional (again, positive changes at the molecular level) component to the strict weight training.

I think some other people mentioned whole foods and healthy meal choices...good food is always preferable to processed crap or supplemental support.

Best,
rho
Markz2137
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Re: 21 just found out am 4/4

Post by Markz2137 »

rho wrote: Fri Jan 14, 2022 2:05 pm Mark,

You are young and engaged so you already have a leg up. Consumption of any kind of food raises insulin level (sugar<carbohydrate<protein<fat). Consistent exercise will increase insulin sensitivity, and thereby decrease long term insulin levels, negating the transitory spikes. When you say you're into bodybuilding I imagine you mean just that, as opposed to say, you are into strength training? The former is primarily aesthetic, the latter is possibly functional. Doing anything physical is a benefit, so I'm not trying to spoil your love of bodybuilding. But you may find that the demands of bodybuilding are not entirely conducive to total health since there is simply one goal that supersedes all others...adding muscle. The requirement of large amounts of protein and a lack of dietary moderation necessary to sustain a high muscle mass (muscles are like pets; if you don't feed them they go away) is to some extent inherently at odds with the sustained balance of long term health. There is an economy to carrying a lot of extra weight in whatever form: High fat percentage physiques require perhaps less food costs, but suffer greater health implications...while very high muscle mass (not necessarily applicable on a comparable percentage basis) tend to incur greater food costs, but with lower, albeit still substantial health implications. Unfortunately a disproportionate number of body builders do not possess enviable longevity.

You can try on some simple strategies that will be an asset as you gain in years.

1 Drink mostly water...avoid too many sugary drinks (coconut water is a great sports drink substitute)
2 Eat in moderation (although sometimes bodybuilding calls for massive calories to add muscle/fat (comes along for the ride) and then restriction to shake the fat off; repeat).
3 There are many supplements you can take but if you were only to take one I would choose a high quality liquid fish oil...liquid in bottle, not pills (omega 3's are highly subject to oxidation, and the high surface area to volume ratio of pills kind of guarantee that the production methods yield an oxidized product of little worth.)
4 Work in some cardio (if you can stand it...mitochondrial support for body and mind for years to come)
5 Cross train or do a sport(s) to have a functional (again, positive changes at the molecular level) component to the strict weight training.

I think some other people mentioned whole foods and healthy meal choices...good food is always preferable to processed crap or supplemental support.

Best,
rho
JD2020 wrote: Wed Jan 12, 2022 1:18 pm [quote=Markz2137 post_id=83524 time=<a href="tel:1642015359">1642015359</a> user_id=11751]

Any advice would be helpful and hopefully can calm myself about this.
Hi!

You are so young, don't worry! For now, work on developing good life habits:

exercise - weights, cardio, HIIT, stretching. It's all good. Variety is great. Have fun.

eat well - real food, no processed garbage, as high quality as you can afford. Sugar and grains are not our friends, so maybe start rolling that back if you eat the normal diet for a 21 year old in America. Olive oil, lots of veggies, and quality proteins are our friends. No need to obsess. You have time to figure out what you like and what feels good.

learn - start paying attention to the research, as it comes out. Be curious. I learned about ReCODE because I was watching out for this topic because of a family member who has the disease. Traditional medicine hates Mercola, but it was his morning newsletter that alerted me. As research comes out, consider what makes sense to you. Watch for when you sense that you should incorporate some change into your life.

sleep - I've been doing the protocol for a couple of years now on a preventative basis, and at the first appointment, my doc said that I have to get a good night's sleep. I said, great, but my body doesn't do that. Now I sleep well. It's unbelievable after a lifetime of insomnia. I think the Oura ring is a great sleep tracker. I didn't think FitBit was very comfortable. Anyway, if you get a good sleep tracker, you will start seeing how different things you do during the day impact your sleep. Also, "Why We Sleep" is a really good, interesting book that will make you really understand why this is so important. It also made me realize that the idea that my body could not sleep well was insane. We are designed to sleep.

Of course, you could start implementing specific parts of the program, if you want, just for the sake of incorporating them into your life now. Meditation is part of the protocol, because of course constantly bathing yourself in cortisol is not helpful. My doc recommended HeartMath. It feels like work to me, but maybe you would like it. I've been enjoying guided meditations with Oura. Also, you could start playing BrainHQ. I find this painful because it is so boring, but I still intend to do it everyday - and I have lots of room for improvement as far as fulfilling that intention.

So be calm. There is a lot you can do now to move yourself in the direction of excellent health, and you have a lot of time to slowly implement good habits into your life. The body of knowledge regarding this disease will grow, as will the options available to address specific issues. You have time.
[/quote]
Tincup wrote: Wed Jan 12, 2022 12:47 pm Hi Mark,

Welcome! Many of us didn't find out our ApoE status until much later in life. I'm 66 and found out in 2014, 8 years ago. What I've told my children, who are in their 30's, is not worry about being "perfect," but don't push it on the stupid side, either. If you get to my age and you haven't trashed your body, it will be much easier for you. So go for the middle ground.

On insulin resistance. It isn't good for anyone and is rampant today. In this post, I reference my friend, Marty Kendall's data driven fasting program (DDF). Not that you need to do this, but studying the references, getting a glucometer and figuring out what your blood sugar level is before you eat will be useful info. Basically, if you aren't back to a good baseline level, then wait to eat. If you dispose of your glucose well and quickly, then go ahead. If your blood sugar stays elevated, then you have plenty of fuel on board and adding more is not useful to your metabolic health. Especially follow the links on Hunger Training and Oxidative priority.
Thank you all for your kind replies, they have definitely made me feel better about this. I’ve come to a decision that, as someone with anxiety, worrying so much about my health and every possible toxin that exists int he modern world to the extent someone like Dr. Dale Bredesen recommends isn’t something worth doing at my age. It may even have a counter intuitive affect as it would surely damage my enjoyment of life while being so young. Although I do obviously see the advantage later in life.

So for now I am just going to carry on being healthy and live life without worry, perhaps limiting carbs to whole grains and cutting out processed foods and sugar (which I already limit) and hopefully that will suffice until a later age when I will start taking preventative measures more seriously. However, I may get some blood work done just to ensure I’m not deficient in anything.

My mum is convinced the result is wrong after listing out how every one of my relatives passed, non with Alzheimer’s and almost always at 80+ Only one from heart disease aged 76 but he was a heavy smoker. But I trust 23 and me’s accuracy and am fine not getting it confirmed :lol:

Again thank you for your replies they definitely helped me get through the initial panic.

Marcus.
Markz2137
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Re: 21 just found out am 4/4

Post by Markz2137 »

Tried to quote everyone but have seen that failed 😂
NF52
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Re: 21 just found out am 4/4

Post by NF52 »

Markz2137 wrote: Sat Jan 15, 2022 8:03 am Tried to quote everyone but have seen that failed 😂
You did great, Marcus! "Quoting" is not exactly intuitive with this software, especially with multiple posts.

Here's a quick formula tip, with key parts in color:

Enter a left-side bracket [ followed by quote = followed by the person's name in quotes like this "NF52"and this bracket:] and then skip a space and add this: [/quote]
So it looks like this:
NF52 wrote:
Repeat that with every poster's name.

OR: Just figure that most of the people who replied to you will check back when they see that you have replied in the Board Index and be happy to know their post helped ;)
4/4 and still an optimist!
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