Best diets for 4/4’s

[Nannies23]

Just discovered through no consent of my own, that I have the APOE 4/4 and my life and my family’s life has been turned upside down. Besides being completely stressed out from all the research I’ve been doing, I haven’t been able to eat, mostly because of stress and being afraid to eat certain foods. I’m reading the mind Diet is good, then I hear it’s not. Then I’m reading the mediterranian Diet is good, but again there are cons to that too, the keto Diet? Cons on that one too. Sooo, what is the best diet for someone with the 4/4 Gene who has a total cholesterol of 203 but an ldl-p of 1827? I don’t know one person in my life that has/had this disease, do I’m completely blown away by all this.

[ru442]

{{{hugs}}} nannies23,

It's not important to pick a diet per se at this point, what you need to do is start eating REAL foods, nothing processed, no sugars, no grains, and limited carbs (i.e. no white potatos, chip, etc.). You need to get away from the SAD (Standard American Diet)... period. Start eating healthy meals consisting of lots of fresh veggies, olives, olive oil, nuts, avocado, white fish and shell fish. Pepper in some local pastured animal meats (preferably chicken or pork, lamb or grass fed beef/bison ok). If you are in the U.S. you can check www.eatwild.com for local farmers, many deliver or allow you order online or pick up. U.S. Wellness Meats will deliver next day on orders of $75 or more for only a couple bucks (https://grasslandbeef.com).

Take your time and don't stress out, this is NOT a death sentence nor is it a race, it is a marathon and you have just started. You now have the knowledge and empowerment to change your outcome for the better, as many of us have. It will get better as you learn and change your lifestyle. We are all here to support you and answer you questions.

RU

[slacker]

Just discovered through no consent of my own, that I have the APOE 4/4 and my life and my family’s life has been turned upside down. Besides being completely stressed out from all the research I’ve been doing, I haven’t been able to eat, mostly because of stress and being afraid to eat certain foods. I’m reading the mind Diet is good, then I hear it’s not. Then I’m reading the mediterranian Diet is good, but again there are cons to that too, the keto Diet? Cons on that one too. Sooo, what is the best diet for someone with the 4/4 Gene who has a total cholesterol of 203 but an ldl-p of 1827? I don’t know one person in my life that has/had this disease, do I’m completely blown away by all this.

There is no consensus on what the best diet is for ApoE4's. May I suggest starting with the advice given in our Primer, written by one of our medical doctor members? This is a good place to start for diet and nutrition, as well as getting a general organized and prioritized overview.

Having 2 ApoE4 alleles is not a disease. It is not a death sentence. It means that we have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's and coronary artery disease. Our members believe that it is possible to reduce this risk by changing how we eat, exercise, sleep, and manage our stress! We are all working together to figure out how to navigate through, and support each other even when our paths may not be exactly the same. If you currently are not having any cognitive issues, you have the luxury of time to make small changes, one step at a time.

[Searcher]

JI don’t know one person in my life that has/had this disease

Nannies23,

If you don't have any close family members who developed Alzheimer's, then you might well have a lower lifetime risk than others who carry 4/4. Experts recently estimated that only 7% of the risk of dementia is attributable to the APOE4 allele. Perhaps that will help you respond more calmly and confidently.

Excessive stress is best avoided, because a calm and confident way of living helps your brain. So, go through the primer calmly. Try not to read all kinds of conflicting information from everywhere. Just pick one or two things that are easy to do from the primer. That's it. Pluck the fruit that seems low-hanging to you. There'll be plenty of time to add more. There's no emergency.

Spend some time doing things that boost your joy. Think of a friend who makes you laugh and call them.

Think of the genetic information as a gift that is going to help you improve your quality of life. I can almost guarantee that you are going to be way healthier in a year, with a much better quality of life (as long as no reckless driver runs you over).

Relax, celebrate life. It's going to get better and better, with the help of everyone here.

[Anna]

Nannies23,

Try not to panic! I too was stunned by my 4/4 result. Although my grandmother had AD and that there was a genetic component, I had never heard of ApoE4, and the initial statistics I encountered were terrifying. I tried desperately to quickly make sense of it all and make a whole lot of really tough changes. I soon realized that I needed to do the research, digest the info, and make changes all at my own pace.

The more I have learned, the more I have been able to calm down about my genetic risk. There are so many things that contribute to cognitive decline: insulin resistance, nutrient deficiencies, toxins, insufficient exercise, other genes, chronic stress or depression, insufficient sleep, inadequate hormone levels, etc. Most of these variables are opportunities to decrease this risk.

I imagine that the fact this news came without your consent adds an extra layer of difficulty.

I agree with the advice others have given so far, especially this:

Spend some time doing things that boost your joy. Think of a friend who makes you laugh and call them.

[Fiver]

Hi N23. It's a lot to think and worry about, all at once. But the more you learn the less overwhelming it is and the more empowered you'll feel to do something about it. There are millions of 44s, whether they know it or not. Many of them never get AD or have CVD.

There are multiple recommended diets and lifestyles out there, and it can seem confusing I know.

But here's how I've come to think about it. There is strong, clear evidence that a healthy diet rich in real whole foods, lots of veggies and some nuts and fish and low in excess sugars and processed foods lowers the risk of *many* diseases, including dementias. There are the common characteristics of diets recommended in the reCODE program by Dr. Bredesen (he gives patients a choice of anti-inflammatory diets), the MIND diet, the DASH diet, the Nordic diet, etc. The Med diet has really amazing data showing its health benefits. They are all superior to the standard American diet (SAD). Not only will these lower the risk of AD but they will lower the risk of CVD, diabetes, etc. Maybe depression too. A number of studies remark that patients benefited even if they did not fully follow a particular diet too - that's encouraging. And we may not have to wait to see the benefits. Many people find some happiness just in knowing they are on a healthy path. I also feel like I can encourage my family to eat a little better....just because I am more aware and already cooking good meals....and that could really help them all in the long run,

So, yes, it can feel overwhelming. But you can head in the right direction with any good plant-based anti-inflammatory diet, step by step, by replacing some of the bad with more of the good, and be on the right track at the start.

If you can get lab tests through your doctor this may help you feel better - as you figure out what helps and you can see some numbers improving.

Do eat, however. After a while I tried to think about it as a "food adventure" - learning to try new foods all over again and finding I like some new ones after all. I had a crutch too when I started. A big can of macadamia nuts. Sure, they jacked up my saturated fats and LDL and eventually I cut them way down...but for the first couple of weeks they gave me some calories and good fats....and, sure, it was nice to have an excuse to splurge on them. My diet continues to evolve and improve as I learn.

Another certainty is moderate exercise = good. Like diet you can find some interesting discussions about the details - e.g., cardio vs strength training, etc. But I'm pretty sure - again, not an expert - most types of exercise are generally better than sitting around. You'll need some calories to feel like exercising, so another reason to eat enough.

In short....in my non-expert opinion....some of the big risk reducers are the basic ones where there is general agreement.

....and there are good people here with lots of expert knowledge too.

The panic does fade and become motivation over time.

[drae]

It's not important to pick a diet per se at this point, what you need to do is start eating REAL foods, nothing processed, no sugars, no grains, and limited carbs (i.e. no white potatoes, chip, etc.). You need to get away from the SAD (Standard American Diet)... period. Start eating healthy meals consisting of lots of fresh veggies, olives, olive oil, nuts, avocado, white fish and shellfish. Pepper in some local pastured animal meats (preferably chicken or pork, lamb or grass fed beef/bison ok).

RU, this is brilliant. I have borrowed it, added the word starchy and a phrase about three colors of veggies for my housemate who as of yesterday was having a similar struggle over wanting to do the "diet" more completely. She is just beginning. I can't think of a better introduction to a great start on doing the food.

Thank you!

Drae

[Nannies23]

OMG!! Thank you all so much!! I really needed to read this, especially the part where my risk may go down a little since I have no family history of AD. I am trying to take it slow, but I feel like every time I Eat I get a visual That whatever is in that food goes straight to my brain. I guess I should work on that. I’m also getting nutritional advice from the people at True Health who are the ones who actually did the blood work. So, again, thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to respond to me.

[ru442]

Your welcome nannies23.... Glad to hear True Health is giving you advice, I would be interested to know what they have to say since I also discovered by mistake when my GP ordered test through True Health without my knowledge. When I asked my GP what it meant, she had no clue and just said "Keep doing what your doing"... yeah right!! I did see that they offered assistance, but instead I researched on my own and found this site. It has since changed my life, all for the better.

[Nannies23]

Wow! I actually looked at the script for my blood work, after the fact of course, and my Dr had the genetic APOE block checked off. I’m thinking she did it because it shows a gene that may put you at risk for heart disease? I just don’t know. Like you, it changed my life too, and I’m so thankful for this group. I feel so much better but I’m still trying to avoid sugar, bread, pasta, salt, low or no fat foods, which really doesn’t leave much left. So I’ve been eating a lot of the cucumber cerebellum soup from the Mind Diet because it’s really good and filling while I gather recipes from these diets that I like and can Pick up from Trader Joe’s.