New Here

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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Davidmoshe8833
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New Here

Post by Davidmoshe8833 »

Hello everyone,

So happy to have found such a wonderful, intelligent and supportive community here.

A bit about me; I'll be 33 next week, I'm a physical therapist, just recently (about a month or so ago) casually took a DNA health report test and was shocked to see that I'm an APoe3/4. None of my grandparents, nor my parents who are currently in their late 60s, were ever diagnosed, so I had assumed I wouldn't have such a significant risk factor. I have however struggled with high cholesterol since I was 21 (Which I've at times successfully managed with diet and exercise and Red Yeast Rice). It has been both a source of frustration, and also validation, when I got this new information. Also dealing with a bit of an essential tremor, for which I've seen a bunch of neurologists for.

Either way, all of this has inspired and motivated me to pursue a certification in nutrition ( looking to take a functional medicine course for health care practitioners and eventually go for the DACBN credential). Looking forward to collaborating!
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Tincup
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Re: New Here

Post by Tincup »

Welcome David!

I'm a 65 year old 3/4 married to a 61 year old 4/4. Both of us found our status in 2014. You've got time to work on this. My suggestion to my 3/4 kids (my now 4/4 wife is not their mom, mom is 3/3), who are in your age bracket, is to just pay attention, not worry about perfection.
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NF52
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Re: New Here

Post by NF52 »

Davidmoshe8833 wrote:Hello everyone,

So happy to have found such a wonderful, intelligent and supportive community here.

A bit about me; I'll be 33 next week, I'm a physical therapist, just recently (about a month or so ago) casually took a DNA health report test and was shocked to see that I'm an APoe3/4. None of my grandparents, nor my parents who are currently in their late 60s, were ever diagnosed, so I had assumed I wouldn't have such a significant risk factor. I have however struggled with high cholesterol since I was 21 (Which I've at times successfully managed with diet and exercise and Red Yeast Rice). It has been both a source of frustration, and also validation, when I got this new information. Also dealing with a bit of an essential tremor, for which I've seen a bunch of neurologists for.

Either way, all of this has inspired and motivated me to pursue a certification in nutrition ( looking to take a functional medicine course for health care practitioners and eventually go for the DACBN credential). Looking forward to collaborating!
Welcome David!

Anyone who is a PT has my vote of confidence and respect! Two PTs, in NY and VA several years apart, rescued me from rotator cuff injury and the effects of no weight bearing for 7 weeks after bunion surgery. I think it's safe to say that as a physical therapist who probably has a doctorate, you have two terrific resilience factors working for you: post-graduate education and a cognitively and socially challenging occupation.

You've experienced the completely expected shock at finding out you had a risk factor that hadn't shown itself in an actual diagnosis going back two generations. Yet you're emotionally resilient and have already re-framed it as a validation of why you have to deal with high cholesterol (which can be a sneaky fellow traveler with ApoE4!) and a determination to add functional medicine and nutritional approaches to your skill set, for your benefit and that of others. We are thrilled to look forward to collaborating with you!

The good news about your family history is that it suggests that are other genetic and lifestyle factors in your heritage that keep everyone's brains healthy! Having one copy of ApoE 4 was shown in a 2017 meta-analysis of US and Netherlands populations (using long-running studies like the Framingham Heart Study) to confer a 20-25% risk of a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer's by the age of 85 for people now ages 60-75. Already studies show that while the absolute number of AD cases is rising due to the total size of the Boomer generation, the percentage of people diagnosed is actually dropping--due it is assumed to public health factors like better health care and prevention of coronary artery disease, reduced smoking, less air and water pollution, more exercise and healthier diets. A study presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in 2019 estimate that 30% of AD cases could be prevented with lifestyle interventions--the same ones we as a community often follow!

So here are some resource you may like to check out:
The Primer is written by Stavia, a practicing M.D. with ApoE4/4. It's a great place to see some strategies that you can consider--and she also recommends not trying to re-tool your entire life at once!

The How-To Guide shows how to quote members (use the " icon in the upper right of any post) so they get an email notification of your post. It also shows how to use the Search function for topics, and how to subscribe to topics of interest.

Here's a link pulled from our Wiki on Research, with a 2018 article on strategies for LOAD prevention in ApoE 4 carriers from Dr. Richard Isaacson, the Director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Cornell Weill Medical Center in NYC: Clinical Application of APOE in Alzheimer’s Prevention: A Precision Medicine Approach Here's his top recommendation from the article:

Physical activity
A systematic review of 16 prospective studies concluded that physical activity decreased the risk of developing AD by 45%
Physically active ε4 carriers had an OR [odds ratio risk of Alzheimer's] of 2.30 and sedentary ε4 carriers had an OR of 5.53
Aerobic activity was associated with greater cognitive performance for ε4 carriers compared to non-carriers).
Sedentary individuals who were ε4 carriers had significantly higher levels of brain Aβ and lower levels of CSF Aβ42 compared to sedentary non-carriers, findings associated with AD pathology
...The findings also suggest that physical activity may prevent Aβ accumulation that occurs in the brains of ε4 carriers before clinical symptoms of AD even become apparent
Enjoy planning for a long and healthy future!
4/4 and still an optimist!
Davidmoshe8833
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Re: New Here

Post by Davidmoshe8833 »

Thank you for the kind words and warm welcome, and thank you for framing everything in such a positive manner. Also looking forward to collaborating with everyone here!
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