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[Sgl9x]

Thanks SusanJ

I have not tracked it but I know if I take too much plain Choline my jaw muscles get tight. Has to do with too much Dopamine I think.

I eat three eggs a day.

Maybe AC or alpaGPC would work

[mike]

@ mike,
This is where I saw the info on the ketones:
https://www.drperlmutter.com/study/huma ... etabolism/
I test ketones occasionally with a mojo meter. Last time I checked, I was getting 1.6 mmol around 3:00 pm about 3 hours after I ate.
Brain fog right now is constant.
I take 1 tablespoon of Brain Octane Oil, 1 tablespoon of butter, and one tablespoon of cocoa butter in the morning with my coffee.
That is all the MCT I take. It tends to increase LDL more than other saturated fats, so I keep it to 1 tablespoon a day.
Thanks SamNz and NF52

I tried responding once already, and it seemed to get lost. That article says that E4s and E2s both do better than E3s at ketone metabolism. You are making plenty of ketones. MCT can throw things off and can cause diarrhea, so I might try leaving it out of your coffee for a bit as a test. Your high A1c in the past suggests you are close to being diabetic, so it is important to keep your blood sugars fairly constant. Have you ever tested insulin resistance (homa-ir)?

[slacker]

This is where I saw the info on the ketones:
https://www.drperlmutter.com/study/huma ... etabolism/
I test ketones occasionally with a mojo meter.

Hi Steve;
When I followed your Perlmutter link, I saw this in the abstract:

Interestingly, on the uptake and metabolism of ketone bodies, the secondary energy source for the brain, ApoE2 and ApoE4 brains showed a similar level of robustness, whereas ApoE3 brains presented a relatively deficient profile.

Did the body of the study say the reverse?

Your situation sounds frustrating. In the labs you posted, your HDL is low, and trigs still a bit high to rule out insulin resistance. More exercise may help. You may want to consider checking your fasting or 2 hour post prandial insulin. There is more information on labs to use to figure out insulin resistance in the primer.

PS. This website does not support "@" for communicating with other members. One has to use the quote function, like I and SamNZ did. If it's not obvious how to do this, check here for help.

[Sgl9x]

Mike and Slacker,

Sorry I misread this in the study:
"Results from these studies provide an alternative explanation for the clinical observation
that ketosis benefits ApoE3 carriers more than ApoE4 carriers."

However:
"This suggests that ApoE4 brains might be deficient in
ketone body transport and/or key enzymes that metabolize ketone bodies."
AND:
"We may speculate that the ApoE4 brain may possess an
upper limit of ketone body utilization as a result of compensatory
response. Consequently, the ApoE4 brain would not be able to
further metabolize exogenously supplied ketone bodies for energy production and would thus not induce improved cognitive
performance."
So MCT and ketone salts won't help with cognition.
This is what I have noticed. Ketosis has never provided me the clarity some people get. No real change for me.

1 tablespoon of MCT doesn't give me diarrhea. (but I don't see a reason to continue since it doesn't help my cognition)
My doctor won't test my fasting insulin level so I can't do a Homa-IR calc.
My trigs went up after I started drinking 2-3 cups a day of coffee. They were 60.

[mike]

I haven't read that study in awhile, but if I remember it was not a long duration. If ketones are available, then the brain will first tell your body not to use glucose to save what is there for the brain. Over time, with a ketone supply, the brain likely adjusts to take advantage of it. It is the ancestral fuel after all. There could be a mitochondrial defect, but I believe ketones are able to pass freely across the BBB and into neurons. I would start doing a journal of brain fog. Take your blood sugar and ketones when you notice it happening. If you really want to test MCT then stop it now, then take when you have the brain fog to see if that does anything. If that helps, then add it back, but micro dose through out the day's
Also, the homa-ir is probably a cheap test, and the information could be valuable.

[Sgl9x]

I would start doing a journal of brain fog. Take your blood sugar and ketones when you notice it happening.
Also, the homa-ir is probably a cheap test, and the information could be valuable.

The only problem is the brain fog is constant when I have it. When it goes away, I never have it. All or none.

I'll get the test done on my own.

Thanks

[mike]

The only problem is the brain fog is constant when I have it. When it goes away, I never have it. All or none.

How long do you have it? How long do you not have it? It may not be caused by lack of fuel to the brain. I've seen recent posts about antibiotics helping, possibly because it is killing nasties in your gut that can influence cognition. Try to figure if there is any kind of food trigger?

[Sgl9x]

mike,

How long depends on how quickly I get back down to 15 grams total carbs a day or so. It can be months or weeks. I think it may be a combination of gut biome and energy production this time. (b/c of the diarrhea)

In the past, I have taken antibiotics and didn't notice anything different except not being able to digest food as well. I would then eat yogurt for a week and it would get back to normal. (digestion that is)

I'm starting to eat a tablespoon of coconut oil in the morning instead of MCT. This kills nasties too. I'm also taking probiotics.

Regarding the food trigger, I really don't eat much but I'm taking dairy out of my diet (except two tbls butter a day). I eat a few cups of cruciferous vegetables and one cup of leafy greens a day only for carbs now. Protein is natural chicken, organic bacon, pastured eggs, and wild salmon with GF beef once a week. I don't think these are a trigger from past experience.

[Fiver]

Were you a serious athlete in recent years? I'd be surprised in the exercise schedule you mentioned, by itself, would get you a resting heart rate of 44.

Memory problems and confusion can be symptoms of bradycardia, sometimes caused by thyroid issues or medications for example. See https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... c-20355474

[mike]

How long depends on how quickly I get back down to 15 grams total carbs a day or so. It can be months or weeks. I think it may be a combination of gut biome and energy production this time. (b/c of the diarrhea)

Does your brain fog relate to your diarrhea at all? You might have some kind of bug that likes carbs? How many calories do you consume, and what is your height and weight? If yogurt helps, why not take it all the time? I myself make whole milk kefer that I let go long to make sure the sugars have all been converted. I have it every day - make a protein shake with whey. I very rarely ever get diarrhea. I'm not familiar with Bradycardia, but it sounds like Fiver's link may be useful as well.