Just confused and wondering

[swanlzs]

Hi;
As noted in a previous post, I recently found out I'm a 3/4. It's led me to evaluate my lifestyle and diet. I'm 67, still working full-time in the IT field and previous to that had 20 years as a Medical Technologist. At this time I have no cognitive issues.

I wonder if I really need to follow a ketogenic diet at this time??? My feeling is that as a society we eat too much and too often & that may be a huge contributing factor to Alzheimer's. If the APOE4 allele is thought to protect from malnutrition/famine, will fasting help alleviate Alzheimer's?

For the last 6 years I've done intermittent fasting - almost always at least 12-13 hrs/day and often 14-20 depending on how life goes. I've always tried to eat fairly healthy and 3 years ago pretty much eliminated most added sugar. I also exercise by walking (6-8 mi/day) and some weight lifting everyday.

My lipids are a Total Cholesterol of a bit over 200, HDL is ~100, LDL lower normal, and Triglycerides low normal. Blood sugar and BP normal. (don't have my exact numbers in front of me) My 23&Me uploaded to Promethease also has some markers that say I have decreased risk of Alzheimer's and increased cognitive ability.

The BlueZones people do not seem to eat ketogenic. What is their rate of Alzheimer's? Or are they populations with a low E4 rate?

At this time the ketogenic diet doesn't appeal to me. I still eat dairy tho' have never eaten a lot and most is plain yogurt and kefir with some good cheese. I will eat goat cheese, but haven't seen sheep cheese in our market (live in a very rural area). Not a big meat eater, but do eat some and is usually grass-fed. I eat whole grains and a couple slices of homemade whole grain sourdough/week. Also lots of fruits/veggies including legumes. Most of these are probably all no-no's on the Gundry/Bredesen protocols - tho' I certainly admire and am intrigued by their work.

Just not feeling I need to jump into the whole protocol at this point, but I'm open to suggestions. A lot of information to digest. I haven't visited my dr. since I found out about my apoe status, but will in the near future.

Thanks for letting me put my thoughts out here.

[Julie G]

I wonder if I really need to follow a ketogenic diet at this time??? My feeling is that as a society we eat too much and too often & that may be a huge contributing factor to Alzheimer's. If the APOE4 allele is thought to protect from malnutrition/famine, will fasting help alleviate Alzheimer's?

Welcome, swanlzs! I agree with many of your sentiments. You don't mention your age, but you give enough hints that you're probably healthy and insulin sensitive (?) If that's the case, a ketogenic diet (per se) may not be necessary, but generating some ketones through fasting and exercise may be a really good idea. As you know, our genotype begins demonstrating a cerebral glucose utilization issue as early as our 3rd decade. Ketones can offset that neural fuel shortage. With your IF habit, combined with 6-8 mile a day walks, you're probably already generating a mild level of ketosis. Congrats on cutting out most sugar. Are you eating any processed food, refined carbs? If so, that may be something else to work on. Kudos on such a healthy lifestyle. I'd love to take a walk with you

[NF52]

Hi;
As noted in a previous post, I recently found out I'm a 3/4. It's led me to evaluate my lifestyle and diet. I'm 67, still working full-time in the IT field and previous to that had 20 years as a Medical Technologist. At this time I have no cognitive issues...Just not feeling I need to jump into the whole protocol at this point, but I'm open to suggestions. A lot of information to digest. I haven't visited my dr. since I found out about my apoe status, but will in the near future.

Thanks for letting me put my thoughts out here.

Welcome, swanlzs!

I noticed your first post New_Member on Thursday. As an almost 67-year old ApoE 4/4 woman who would never qualify for a position in IT, I want to congratulate you on being a "boring" patient for your doctor. It's likely that your high level of occupational and cognitive challenge and your lifestyle choices, combined with (hopefully) very low particulate matter pollution in your rural home, has given you both resilience and resistance to the mildly elevated risk of one copy of the ApoE 4 allele.
Here's a quote from well-designed population-based research that supports my optimism:

For APOE4 carriers with high lifetime intellectual enrichment (75th percentile of education/occupation score and midlife to late-life cognitive activity), the onset of cognitive impairment was approximately 8.7 years later compared with low lifetime intellectual enrichment (25th percentile of education/occupation score and mid/late-life cognitive activity).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:
...Lifetime intellectual enrichment might delay the onset of cognitive impairment and be used as a successful preventive intervention to reduce the impending dementia epidemic.

Association of lifetime intellectual enrichment with cognitive decline in the older population.

As Julie G noted, you are doing so many things great that you have the opportunity to consider trying out a few additional things to see how you feel. For example, you may want to ask your doctor to check two items that can sometimes drift down for women as we get older: Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin D-3. I discovered when I enrolled in a clinical trial for people with ApoE 4 that my B-12 levels, while "normal", were slightly below what the level of 500 that both Dr. Bredesen and my Study Doctor recommend. Taking a methylcobalmin dose of only 500 mg of B-12 once a day brought the level up to the mid-600's within 3 months. Similarly, I had several tests of Vitamin D done by previous doctors, all in the 20's and 30's--again "normal", especially for someone who lived in a cloudy climate with long winters! A 2014 International panel developed consensus recommendations that highlight the benefits of Vitamin D from food or supplements. A level between 75-100, or between 50-80 as I think Dr. Bredesen recommends, may be helpful. I now take 1000 i.u units a day (and am due for a test in the next few weeks to check the level.)

Of interest, observational studies have reported that a higher intake of vitamin D (whether from food, supplements or sun exposure) is associated with better cognitive function in older individuals 27. For instance, consuming more than 800 IU of vitamin D per day resulted in a fivefold reduction in the risk of AD after 7 years of follow‐up 52. This neuroprotective effect has been further confirmed by before–after studies and quasi‐experimental studies reporting cognitive improvement after vitamin D supplementation in the general population of seniors 53 as well as in patients who already have symptoms of ADRDs 54. The cognitive benefits of supplementation appear from 4 weeks 55 and seem to be particularly strong for executive function and processing speed

‘Vitamin D and cognition in older adults’: updated international recommendations

By the way, I have had several great conversations with my doctor about my ApoE 4/4 status, and he has kept my request to keep that information out of my record. While medical insurance companies cannot discriminate on the basis of genetic information under the GINA law, the same is not true for long-term care providers. http://ginahelp.org/

As you're browsing the forum, you may want to refer to the "How-To" Get the most out of the ApoE4.info website wiki section for tips of quoting members so they see your reply, subscribing to favorite forums, searching for topics and using the other great resources of the wiki.

Best wishes for continued enjoyment of both work and life as a "boring" patient.

[swanlzs]

Thanks for the replies. They've made me feel better . I've taken Vit D3/K2 for several years, Curcumin/turmeric, Mg Glycinate, Bilberry extract, & Krill oil. I also do like fish, but in the rural midwest of the USA, it isn't always a great option.
I'm going to review this with my Dr. when I have my next appt.
Thanks again.

[laurie]

Hi; .......

The BlueZones people do not seem to eat ketogenic. What is their rate of Alzheimer's? Or are they populations with a low E4 rate?

Thanks for letting me put my thoughts out here.

Here is a book you may be interested in reading: Silica Water the Secret to Healthy Blue Zone Longevity by Dennis N Crouse.

In 2 of the Blue Zones there are lower rates of dementia. Okinawans have a lower rate of dementia than the US and Japan(as a whole).
102. Ogura, C., et al.; Prevalence of senile dementia in Okinawa, Japan; Int. J. Epidemiol.; 24:373-80 (1995)

Ikarians have approximately 20% lower rates of cancer, 50% lower rates of heart disease, 25% less dementia, and less depression136,137.
136.Buettner, D.; The island where people live longer; NPR Your Health - Weekend Edition; May (2009)
137. At the heart of Ikaria; Does a Greek island harbor the secret to longevity? CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (2016)

Here is part of the introduction to the book.
"Amazingly, in addition to Okinawa there are four other small geographic zones on the earth that
have been identified as having populations with higher survival rates of reaching 90+ years of
age than surrounding areas2. These zones are called “Blue Zones”. The environment and
lifestyle of these zones can potentially teach valuable lessons that may allow us to achieve
healthy longevity by preventing and possibly curing terminal diseases such as Alzheimer’s
disease, heart disease, cancer, seizures, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease."

My husband is the author of the book. His mother has late onset Alzheimer's and he has spent the last several years researching ways to help his mother. He achieved his goal and what he learned compelled him to write 2 books.

[swanlzs]

I just saw this reply - haven't been on the site for awhile. Thanks for the info. The Blue Zones populations fascinate me on a lot of levels.