New to the Board - Introduction

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
dog19
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New to the Board - Introduction

Post by dog19 »

Hello everyone! I am new to the board and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Shane, I am 44 years old and practice law in Milwaukee, WI. I got my 23andme results back this past weekend and learned I have one copy of the e4 variant. I am not sure if I am 2/4 or 3/4, I know there is a way to determine that through the app but I can't seem to figure it out. At the end of the day, I am not sure if it really matters or not, but if someone has advice on this topic I would gladly take it.

I am almost certain the e4 variant comes from my mom, who passed away last August at the age of 82. She started showing signs of dementia about 15 years or so ago, and went through a slow decline after that. She also had multiple minor strokes in the past few years, which steepened her decline. My mom had issues with high blood pressure, and didn't eat well or exercise. She was also on antidepressants and pain medication for many years, which also didn't help her overall health. My mom's father also dealt with dementia later in life, but still lived to 94 years old. My dad is 79 years old and is sharp as a tack and is showing no signs of slowing down.

I always assumed I inherited some sort of genetic component of memory loss from my mom, so I was not surprised by the e4 variant detection on 23andme. At first I was distressed and bothered over the result, and it took me a few days to process it. I have now started to change gears and believe it was a great wake up call to commit to better overall health and wellness. I am not an unhealthy person, but I haven't been exercising in the past three years. I eat a fairly balanced diet, but could definitely stand to improve in that department. I drink alcohol in moderation, maybe one or two days per week at most.

After receiving the genetic test result, I reviewed my most recent blood work from a physical back in November. I am only going to share the ones that seem most relevant to the topic at hand:

Cholesterol - 209 mg/dl (normal range is <=199, so this was a little high)
Tryglycerides - 89 mg/dl (normal range is <=149, so this one was normal)
HDL - 59 mg/dl (normal range >=40, so normal here too)
LDL - 132 mg/dl (normal range <=129, so slightly higher than normal)
Non-HDL Cholesterol - 150 mg/dl (I have read anything below 130 is optimal, so this one needs a little work)
Cholesterol/HDL ratio - 3.5 (not sure if that is good or bad, I wasn't given a normal range on the result)

My main goal is to get my cholesterol and LDL numbers down over the coming year. I am pretty happy with everything else right now. My goal is to eat a well balanced diet, but hopefully not completely cut out things like carbs, red meat, or poultry. I definitely want to cut out foods high in saturated fat and sugar. Any advice to help me work on my diet would be greatly appreciated. I also frequently do nighttime/morning 16 hour fasting between the hours of 8:00 PM - noon, and that has helped me maintain a healthy weight. I also feel better and have more energy when I do this. I do drink black coffee in the morning, but do not add cream or sugar.I am back to working out at least three days a week, but will try for four or five days as a goal. My blood pressure has always been good, most recently 118/78 in March. My mom battled high blood pressure for many years, so it is something I want to focus on keeping low.

As I mentioned, I do drink alcohol in moderation. I usually drink alcohol one day per week, but I really do not want to give up beer or wine completely. I would love to get others' take on this who have APOE4 as well. I have read that APOE4 is common in Southern Italy, but the incidence of Alzheimer's there is very low. I have to believe many of them are drinking red wine with dinner! Based on what I have read and comparing different regions of the globe, APOE4 is very much triggered by environmental factors that are much more prevalent in Western culture. My mom was a victim of that in many ways.

Anyways, that is my story in a nutshell. I am grateful for this board and all of the stories that others have shared. I got a pretty big wakeup call over the weekend with the genetic test results, but I am glad I got it now and not 20 years from now when there is much less I could have done to commit to a healthier lifestyle.

Shane
Last edited by dog19 on Tue Apr 27, 2021 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by Tincup »

dog19 wrote: I got my 23andme results back this past weekend and learned I have one copy of the e4 variant. I am not sure if I am 2/4 or 3/4, I know there is a way to determine that through the app but I can't seem to figure it out. At the end of the day, I am not sure if it really matters or not, but if someone has advice on this topic I would gladly take it.

Hi Shane,

One way is to search (browse) your raw data for these two SnPs (On a computer, login to 23andMe and click your name, then Browse Raw Data - I've not tried on a phone):
rs429358 rs7412

Then use the info here to figure out what you've got.

Another is to upload your raw data file to Promethease and pay whatever their price is today (<$20 US, I think).
Cholesterol - 209 mg/dl (normal range is <=199, so this was a little high)
Tryglycerides - 89 mg/dl (normal range is <=149, so this one was normal)
HDL - 59 mg/dl (normal range >=40, so normal here too)
LDL - 132 mg/dl (normal range <=129, so slightly higher than normal)
Non-HDL Cholesterol - 150 mg/dl (I have read anything below 130 is optimal, so this one needs a little work)
Cholesterol/HDL ratio - 3.5 (not sure if that is good or bad, I wasn't given a normal range on the result)
[/quote]

My non-medical opinion.

You'd be good to get Tgs< HDL. Start by cutting out refined carbs & processed food (including seed oils: canola, corn & etc).

Other than that, looks pretty good. Don't emphasize foods that have saturated fat (butter, ghee, lard & etc), but don't have to be fanatic.
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by seachangehealthcoach »

dog19 wrote:Hello everyone! I am new to the board and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Shane, I am 44 years old and practice law in Milwaukee, WI. I got my 23andme results back this past weekend and learned I have one copy of the e4 variant. I am not sure if I am 2/4 or 3/4, I know there is a way to determine that through the app but I can't seem to figure it out. At the end of the day, I am not sure if it really matters or not, but if someone has advice on this topic I would gladly take it.

I am almost certain the e4 variant comes from my mom, who passed away last August at the age of 82. She started showing signs of dementia about 15 years or so ago, and went through a slow decline after that. She also had multiple minor strokes in the past few years, which steepened her decline. My mom had issues with high blood pressure, and didn't eat well or exercise. She was also on antidepressants and pain medication for many years, which also didn't help her overall health. My mom's father also dealt with dementia later in life, but still lived to 94 years old. My dad is 79 years old and is sharp as a tack and is showing no signs of slowing down.

I always assumed I inherited some sort of genetic component of memory loss from my mom, so I was not surprised by the e4 variant detection on 23andme. At first I was distressed and bothered over the result, and it took me a few days to process it. I have now started to change gears and believe it was a great wake up call to commit to better overall health and wellness. I am not an unhealthy person, but I haven't been exercising in the past three years. I eat a fairly balanced diet, but could definitely stand to improve in that department. I drink alcohol in moderation, maybe one or two days per week at most.

After receiving the genetic test result, I reviewed my most recent blood work from a physical back in November. I am only going to share the ones that seem most relevant to the topic at hand:

Cholesterol - 209 mg/dl (normal range is <=199, so this was a little high)
Tryglycerides - 89 mg/dl (normal range is <=149, so this one was normal)
HDL - 59 mg/dl (normal range >=40, so normal here too)
LDL - 132 mg/dl (normal range <=129, so slightly higher than normal)
Non-HDL Cholesterol - 150 mg/dl (I have read anything below 130 is optimal, so this one needs a little work)
Cholesterol/HDL ratio - 3.5 (not sure if that is good or bad, I wasn't given a normal range on the result)

My main goal is to get my cholesterol and LDL numbers down over the coming year. I am pretty happy with everything else right now. My goal is to eat a well balanced diet, but hopefully not completely cut out things like carbs, red meat, or poultry. I definitely want to cut out foods high in saturated fat and sugar. Any advice to help me work on my diet would be greatly appreciated. I also frequently do nighttime/morning fasting between the hours of 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM, and that has helped me maintain a healthy weight. I also feel better and have more energy when I do this. I do drink black coffee in the morning, but do not add cream or sugar.I am back to working out at least three days a week, but will try for four or five days as a goal. My blood pressure has always been good, most recently 118/78 in March. My mom battled high blood pressure for many years, so it is something I want to focus on keeping low.

As I mentioned, I do drink alcohol in moderation. I usually drink alcohol one day per week, but I really do not want to give up beer or wine completely. I would love to get others' take on this who have APOE4 as well. I have read that APOE4 is common in Southern Italy, but the incidence of Alzheimer's there is very low. I have to believe many of them are drinking red wine with dinner! Based on what I have read and comparing different regions of the globe, APOE4 is very much triggered by environmental factors that are much more prevalent in Western culture. My mom was a victim of that in many ways.

Anyways, that is my story in a nutshell. I am grateful for this board and all of the stories that others have shared. I got a pretty big wakeup call over the weekend with the genetic test results, but I am glad I got it now and not 20 years from now when there is much less I could have done to commit to a healthier lifestyle.

Shane
Hi Shane!
Welcome to the forum and our community. Thank you for sharing your story. Sounds like you are very resourceful and have already begun taking steps to modify your lifestyle in ways that will surely benefit your overall health and wellness now and in the future. Re: your question at the beginning of your post I wanted to steer you to a chart ApoE in our Wiki entry if you want to check your ApoE4 status

You can also go to 23&me, click on your user name, scroll down and click on the choice "Browse Raw Data" and on the box shown above the chromosome diagram enter these two SNP: rs429358 and rs7412.

If you are ApoE 3/4, rs 429358 will be show the letters C/ T and rs 7412 will show the letters C/ C
If you are ApoE 2/4, rs 429358 will still show C/T but rs 7412 will show the letters C/T.

I hope this information is helpful and that you will keep asking questions and contributing to the forum.
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by floramaria »

dog19 wrote: Cholesterol - 209 mg/dl (normal range is <=199, so this was a little high)
Tryglycerides - 89 mg/dl (normal range is <=149, so this one was normal)
HDL - 59 mg/dl (normal range >=40, so normal here too)
LDL - 132 mg/dl (normal range <=129, so slightly higher than normal)
Non-HDL Cholesterol - 150 mg/dl (I have read anything below 130 is optimal, so this one needs a little work)
Cholesterol/HDL ratio - 3.5 (not sure if that is good or bad, I wasn't given a normal range on the result)

My main goal is to get my cholesterol and LDL numbers down over the coming year.
Hi Shane, As you’ll learn as you read the forums, there are a lot of different opinions about the importance of total cholesterol and/or what the ideal range is. You can access the previous posts about cholesterol.... or LDL, or Triglycerides:HDL ratio or any other topic ....through the website’s Search function by using the magnifying glass to the left of your user name. Like Tincup suggests to you, I’d also prioritize the triglycerides to HDL ratio. To add more detail, Dr. Bredesen, whose recommendations I follow, recommends is that triglycerides to HDL ratio be 1.3:1 or lower. Yours is 1.5. With your current HDL of 59, your triglycerides would need to be 76 or lower to be in that range.
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IFM/ Bredesen Training in Reversing Cognitive Decline (March 2017)
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by dog19 »

seachangehealthcoach wrote:
dog19 wrote:Hello everyone! I am new to the board and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Shane, I am 44 years old and practice law in Milwaukee, WI. I got my 23andme results back this past weekend and learned I have one copy of the e4 variant. I am not sure if I am 2/4 or 3/4, I know there is a way to determine that through the app but I can't seem to figure it out. At the end of the day, I am not sure if it really matters or not, but if someone has advice on this topic I would gladly take it.

I am almost certain the e4 variant comes from my mom, who passed away last August at the age of 82. She started showing signs of dementia about 15 years or so ago, and went through a slow decline after that. She also had multiple minor strokes in the past few years, which steepened her decline. My mom had issues with high blood pressure, and didn't eat well or exercise. She was also on antidepressants and pain medication for many years, which also didn't help her overall health. My mom's father also dealt with dementia later in life, but still lived to 94 years old. My dad is 79 years old and is sharp as a tack and is showing no signs of slowing down.

I always assumed I inherited some sort of genetic component of memory loss from my mom, so I was not surprised by the e4 variant detection on 23andme. At first I was distressed and bothered over the result, and it took me a few days to process it. I have now started to change gears and believe it was a great wake up call to commit to better overall health and wellness. I am not an unhealthy person, but I haven't been exercising in the past three years. I eat a fairly balanced diet, but could definitely stand to improve in that department. I drink alcohol in moderation, maybe one or two days per week at most.

After receiving the genetic test result, I reviewed my most recent blood work from a physical back in November. I am only going to share the ones that seem most relevant to the topic at hand:

Cholesterol - 209 mg/dl (normal range is <=199, so this was a little high)
Tryglycerides - 89 mg/dl (normal range is <=149, so this one was normal)
HDL - 59 mg/dl (normal range >=40, so normal here too)
LDL - 132 mg/dl (normal range <=129, so slightly higher than normal)
Non-HDL Cholesterol - 150 mg/dl (I have read anything below 130 is optimal, so this one needs a little work)
Cholesterol/HDL ratio - 3.5 (not sure if that is good or bad, I wasn't given a normal range on the result)

My main goal is to get my cholesterol and LDL numbers down over the coming year. I am pretty happy with everything else right now. My goal is to eat a well balanced diet, but hopefully not completely cut out things like carbs, red meat, or poultry. I definitely want to cut out foods high in saturated fat and sugar. Any advice to help me work on my diet would be greatly appreciated. I also frequently do nighttime/morning fasting between the hours of 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM, and that has helped me maintain a healthy weight. I also feel better and have more energy when I do this. I do drink black coffee in the morning, but do not add cream or sugar.I am back to working out at least three days a week, but will try for four or five days as a goal. My blood pressure has always been good, most recently 118/78 in March. My mom battled high blood pressure for many years, so it is something I want to focus on keeping low.

As I mentioned, I do drink alcohol in moderation. I usually drink alcohol one day per week, but I really do not want to give up beer or wine completely. I would love to get others' take on this who have APOE4 as well. I have read that APOE4 is common in Southern Italy, but the incidence of Alzheimer's there is very low. I have to believe many of them are drinking red wine with dinner! Based on what I have read and comparing different regions of the globe, APOE4 is very much triggered by environmental factors that are much more prevalent in Western culture. My mom was a victim of that in many ways.

Anyways, that is my story in a nutshell. I am grateful for this board and all of the stories that others have shared. I got a pretty big wakeup call over the weekend with the genetic test results, but I am glad I got it now and not 20 years from now when there is much less I could have done to commit to a healthier lifestyle.

Shane
Hi Shane!
Welcome to the forum and our community. Thank you for sharing your story. Sounds like you are very resourceful and have already begun taking steps to modify your lifestyle in ways that will surely benefit your overall health and wellness now and in the future. Re: your question at the beginning of your post I wanted to steer you to a chart ApoE in our Wiki entry if you want to check your ApoE4 status

You can also go to 23&me, click on your user name, scroll down and click on the choice "Browse Raw Data" and on the box shown above the chromosome diagram enter these two SNP: rs429358 and rs7412.

If you are ApoE 3/4, rs 429358 will be show the letters C/ T and rs 7412 will show the letters C/ C
If you are ApoE 2/4, rs 429358 will still show C/T but rs 7412 will show the letters C/T.

I hope this information is helpful and that you will keep asking questions and contributing to the forum.
Thanks for the info! It appears rs 7412 shows the letters C/C, so I must be ApoE 3/4. Another interesting thing I found was that the T allele on rs 429358 contained a variant they are calling the Christchurch variant. The report says this variant actually provides protection against Alzheimers. Is it worth the $20 to have a website like Promethease further interpret my results? At the end of the day, I am going to make healthy lifestyle changes regardless of what these results are.
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by NF52 »

dog19 wrote:...Thanks for the info! It appears rs 7412 shows the letters C/C, so I must be ApoE 3/4. Another interesting thing I found was that the T allele on rs 429358 contained a variant they are calling the Christchurch variant. The report says this variant actually provides protection against Alzheimers. Is it worth the $20 to have a website like Promethease further interpret my results? At the end of the day, I am going to make healthy lifestyle changes regardless of what these results are.
Hi Shane,

My understanding, from having heard presentations from the group that found the "Christchurch variant" while studying a large extended Columbian family with a separate mutation that causes early onset dementia in their 40's or so, is that this is likely a rare variant. It is more useful to researchers, since it acts like ApoE 2 and protects against the effects of amyloid beta in the brain, but it is not something that 23&me would have tested. That said, I paid about $10 for Promethease about 4 years ago and was impressed with the quality and ease of reading their reports on all sorts of protective and possible risk factors. The reports include links to articles, and use careful phrases like "may increase the risk of >>> by 1.2 x".

As an example, my two sons were thrilled to discover that I carried a lower than average risk of male pattern baldness (as a female) according to Promethease. Their H.S. Health teacher had convinced them they'd go bald by their late 20's like their maternal grandfather. Now in their 30's with gorgeous hair they got from their dad, Promethease looks right! Like you, they are also healthy ApoE 3/4s and I expect they and you will continue to be for more than a half-century!
4/4 and still an optimist!
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by Tincup »

dog19 wrote:[it worth the $20 to have a website like Promethease further interpret my results? At the end of the day,
Looked it up, cost is $12.
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by dog19 »

NF52 wrote:
dog19 wrote:...Thanks for the info! It appears rs 7412 shows the letters C/C, so I must be ApoE 3/4. Another interesting thing I found was that the T allele on rs 429358 contained a variant they are calling the Christchurch variant. The report says this variant actually provides protection against Alzheimers. Is it worth the $20 to have a website like Promethease further interpret my results? At the end of the day, I am going to make healthy lifestyle changes regardless of what these results are.
Hi Shane,

My understanding, from having heard presentations from the group that found the "Christchurch variant" while studying a large extended Columbian family with a separate mutation that causes early onset dementia in their 40's or so, is that this is likely a rare variant. It is more useful to researchers, since it acts like ApoE 2 and protects against the effects of amyloid beta in the brain, but it is not something that 23&me would have tested. That said, I paid about $10 for Promethease about 4 years ago and was impressed with the quality and ease of reading their reports on all sorts of protective and possible risk factors. The reports include links to articles, and use careful phrases like "may increase the risk of >>> by 1.2 x".

As an example, my two sons were thrilled to discover that I carried a lower than average risk of male pattern baldness (as a female) according to Promethease. Their H.S. Health teacher had convinced them they'd go bald by their late 20's like their maternal grandfather. Now in their 30's with gorgeous hair they got from their dad, Promethease looks right! Like you, they are also healthy ApoE 3/4s and I expect they and you will continue to be for more than a half-century!
When I go into my SNP report for rs429358, I get this under the T allele:

Allele: T= (allele ID: 682795 )
ClinVar Accession Disease Names Clinical Significance
RCV000019447.31 APOE3 ISOFORM Pathogenic
RCV000856604.2 Alzheimer disease 3, protection against, due to APOE3-Christchurch Protective

Does that mean anything? This stuff is all so new and confusing to me!

Shane
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by dog19 »

One more question I have for people. I know my risk of getting Alzheimer's is increased some, but still well under 50% given my results. 23andme says my chances of getting Alzheimer's by age 75 is 4-7%, and 20-23% by 85. I would still take those odds any day of the week. How do people take the "worry" aspect out of the results? I am ready to commit to a healthier lifestyle and be more mindful of what I put into my body given my results, which is a good thing. I just got my Apoe 3/4 results back last Saturday and there is still a bit of distress about it. I am assuming that goes away for everyone after a while, but I am not quite there yet.
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Re: New to the Board - Introduction

Post by NF52 »

dog19 wrote:When I go into my SNP report for rs429358, I get this under the T allele:

Allele: T= (allele ID: 682795 )
ClinVar Accession Disease Names Clinical Significance
RCV000019447.31 APOE3 ISOFORM Pathogenic
RCV000856604.2 Alzheimer disease 3, protection against, due to APOE3-Christchurch Protective

Does that mean anything? This stuff is all so new and confusing to me!

Shane
Great question that shows how much these sites could use some lay people to improve how they present info!

My husband is ApoE 3/3 and his 23&me report shows exactly the same info. I found one scientific article from a cardiac and neurology lab in Spain that sequenced a convenience sample of patients, using a multi-step process to find how many had the Christchurch variant. Here are their results:
We have found 12 unrelated patients with the rare variant among a cohort of 2560 patients;... a 0.4%of allelic frequency.
APOE Variants E2, E3, and E4 Can Be Miscalled By Classical PCR-RFLP When The Christchurch Variant Is Also Present.

Something that may only be found in 1 out of every 200 people (1/2 of one percent) seems less likely for any one individual than "regular" ApoE3, which is found in 75% of people of European and ancestry.

Here's another topic from Snpedia that indicates a newer listing for Rs121918393 as a SNP that identifies the Christchurch variant (with C/C being the common variant; A/C showing one copy of the Christchurch variant and A/A showing two copies).
https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs121918393. I don't know if 23& me routinely screens for that SNP.
4/4 and still an optimist!
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