New Member thanks to 23and me (Apoe 3/4, Celiac)

[chiefeiffe]

Hello Group,

I am a 44 year old male, who recently did a 23 and me test because I was concerned about following in my fathers footsteps. He was diagnosed with early onset AD and Dementia at 62 years old. I was not surprised to see my results come back that I am in fact a carrier of the 3/4 genes. I have read many threads on here and am very grateful to all those who have contributed. I have heard the name Dr. Bresden several times, and it looks like I should purchase those books and read them soon. I have already read a book called "Grain Brain" by Dr. Perlmutter and it has opened my eyes to many things. In the same 23 and me test I also learned I have Celiac Disease (confirmed by blood tests, awaiting an endoscopy). I now have a very clear picture of what effects carbs, glutens and sugar have on your brain. (I love craft beers and was more heartbroken about the fact that I can't partake any longer) The third piece to my puzzle is statins (for cholesterol) After reading about his take on cholesterol and how the brain needs it to survive, and coming from a person who has been on a Statin for High Cholesterol since I was 30...I am very puzzled as to why doctors and this statin phenom has taken precedence over mental health and the effects of having a low cholesterol and and a low (good) fat diet has on your brain. I have since stopped taking my statin, until I can do more research. As you might imagine all of these precursors leave me feeling as though I have quite and uphill battle. I will say I am in generally good heatlh, i work out regularly and am not overweight, very active and I have never smoked. I would look forward to anyone who may have the same precursors as I, and any other advice regarding the statins and how they affect the brain either positively or negatively. Thank you so much for this website/forum and thanks to Promethease for having the link to clink on when your results come up.

[KatieS]

Welcome chiefeiffe, it it a good reminder to detect other conditions such as celiac disease and it's contribution towards cognitive decline. I suspect your father may have been similarly affected, plus possibly mixed with vascular disease (?). Our primer which was written by our 4/4 physician is a great launching place on our journey of preventing dementia.

As a 3/4 male, cardiovascular disease might occur before dementia, or enhance the risks. How is your cholesterol after discontinuing statins? Did your father have similarly high cholesterol and statin usage? Although you are only 44, if you had years of high cholesterol, maybe consider if you have evidence of atherosclerosis such as a coronary calcium scan or carotid intimal ultrasound.

[chiefeiffe]

I just tested my father with 23 and me, it was difficult collecting his spit but I am anxiously awaiting his results as I suspect he may too have had similar results as me. He was on a statin, he did have high cholesterol, I am suspecting Celiac as well. All of which would have explain his early onset of cognitive deterioration. He also fell in his late 50's off a piece of construction equipment and hit his head, I suspect this attributed to his condition as well.

[SAL]

Hello! I am new here as well but have a very similar profile (APOE, Celiac tendency) from a recent 23 and me test. I have not been tested for celiac, but imagine I will do that soon for both myself and my daughter who seems to have a lot of food sensitivities. I have started on Dr. Breseden's protocol after reading and listening to the book several times. It is extremely helpful so far and I have decided to do a iterative process - address diet, exercise, sleep, and stress first with some indicated supplements. Then retest and look at other issues such as hormone balance or toxins. My sister and I have been working together and it is super helpful to have a buddy in this process! Very thankful for this group and that we can hopefully pass a healthier lifestyle along to our children!

[jolicoeur]

Hi chiefeiffe
Welcome to the forum! This is a great place to be where you can get lots of information and support. One of the best places to start is the primer as KatieS mentioned. Here's the link again: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1418
You can do specific search like cholesterol for example and you'll find great info.

Everyone's experience is different and you will see that here. Also, the primer takes you to places that really do help in reversing cognitive decline.
In addition to the forum, The End of Alzheimer's book came out. It's by Dr Dale Bredesen - a leading pioneer in the field. It is written for lay people and easy to understand. It's a real good thing that you've read Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter. He is very knowledgeable too. If you're interested to know more about Celiac Disease, Dr. Tom O'Bryan (http://thedr.com) is extraordinary. He translates the info to be readily understandable. The gut is really the 1st thing to work on!!

As for cholesterol, Dr. Terry Wahls explained that statins inhibit the remyelination of the Central Nervous System!. She is a researcher and work on a protocol similar to Dr. Bredesen but with least supplements. Food is still the 1st line attack and with the cron-o-meter application, it's possible to see the impact from what we eat: macronutrients, vitamins, minerals,etc.
Stil in the cholesterol topic, many functional medicine doctors recommend the LDL Small particle size numbers testing(NMR).

Congrats to you to be very active, work out and not overweight!
Remember that when the body heals, it heals everything!
I personally got off statins and glucophage ( for diabetes and cholesterol), lost 47 pounds in 2014, work out 4X/week and eat a lot of veggies everyday ( still do), got a new job and feel so much gratitude that even if I wasn't aware as now, my body and my mind just showed me that I took the right decision to change everything almost 4 years ago! I'm 60 now and I can follow very easily the 35 y/o guys in mountaineering for example or via ferrata in the Alps. My brain is 'sharp' and I know how it changed. And I was far from there before!
If it can cheer you up.
Again welcome
Lucie

[jolicoeur]

Hi SAL
Welcome to the forum. You're doing great with changing all these lifestyle factors that are crucial. Dr. Bredesen's book is so great. Good for you to have a 'buddy' and you're absolutely right by trying to pass a healthier lifestyle along to your children!! As well as to work on hormone balance, toxins and food sensitivities! Everything is connected.

Welcome again to the forum. Here is the link to the primer where you'll find a lot of great info:
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1418
You're on the good track SAL !!!

[chiefeiffe]

Jolicoeur,

Thank you so much for your reply and all the information. I am grateful you took a few minutes out to do this. The confusing part is just beginning for sure, what to eat, when to eat, what to avoid and most importantly how can I change what my kids eat to benefit them in the future. Congrats on your fitness level!! What an accomplishment! I look forward to hearing from more people like Sal as well. There are probably lots of us in the same boat and we just don't know it.

[jolicoeur]

chiefeiffe
My pleasure! Each step is driving us into the right path! Slowly and surely. What is known is to reduce our carbs intake - but not the veggies - and increase our good fats, and eat clean proteins ( grass-fed meats, wild caught fish, organic poultry for example, etc.). Dr. Wahls is recommending 9 cups of veggies per day: 3 cups of greens, 3 cups of colors and 3 cups of sulphur-rich foods as the onions, cabbage and mushrooms families. Eating organics is very important since glyphosate is destroying our microbiome ( and more - Dr. Stephanie Seneff or Dr. Sterling Hill from MIT). EWG.ORG is a good organisation to look at what must be organics since it's very high in pesticides and what could be bought traditional since it's not so high. Another thing is fermented veggies (from the fridge) to feed our bugs that are producing 3/4 of our neurotransmitters!!!
Having a plan - little step by little step - that will lead to your success and is feasible for you, is wonderful and propels us.

[SusanJ]

I have since stopped taking my statin, until I can do more research.

Hello Chief! And welcome.

Once you make it through the primer, I'd suggest having a look at our wiki post on cholesterol and lipids.
https://wiki.apoe4.info/wiki/Cholestero ... ng_statins

You might be able to tease out some useful information based on your family history and individual lab results.

We do have statin users on the forum - they have their place especially with established cardiovascular disease. So feel free to post any questions you might have. And note that Dr. Bredesen does warn to keep total cholesterol >150 mg/dL to avoid cognitive effects, because statins can be too effective.

[Fiver]

Welcome. Sorry to hear about your dad. In my case it's my mom, but otherwise a similar story. I'm 46 and was on a statin. That's a complicated issue, with lots of people on both sides. One thing I found interesting is that about half of statins cross into the brain, the other half don't. The lists are easy to Google. I remember that Crestor does not cross the blood/brain barrier. To me, that seemed an important distinction. (And yet, I found Crestor caused a sort of brain fog) I stopped for that reason but will probably have to start again in the future. Bredesen's book is a good place to start. Having heard him talk....I believe him, but, well, once I imagined what a conversation would be like between him and my cardiologist. I don't think they'd agree. The statin issue seems really important but still murky to me. I guess getting so healthy we don't need them anymore would solve the problem. I changed my diet and work out more. I switched from occasional beer to red wine, even though I find it funny to sip red wine while in my garage, covered in oil, restoring my old car.